Nearly half of global consumers willing to watch le pirated video content

--

Nearly half of global consumers willing to watch less pirated video content --

Fri, 10 Mar 2017 10:16

--

In what it calls the largest global consumer piracy online survey ever conducted, content protection firm Irdeto believes that education could reduce the number of individuals who watch pirated video content.

The Irdeto Global Consumer Piracy Survey of more than 25 000 adults across 30 countries found that despite the high number (52%) of consumers around the globe indicating they watched pirated video content, nearly half (48%) would stop or watch less illegal content after being informed that piracy causes the media industry damage.

Irdeto believes that such a willingness by nearly half of consumers to change their viewing habits speaks to the huge impact that education could have on reducing the number of people who pirate video content.

Regionally, 45% of consumers in Europe and 32% of consumers in the US pirate content, compared to 61% in APAC and 70% in Latin America, suggesting that popular content is more readily available in Europe and the US, lowering their need to pirate content.

The survey also found that even though 70% of consumers across the globe recognised that producing or sharing pirated video content was illegal, fewer people, 59%, were aware that streaming or downloading was also against the law. In Latin America, this gap was widest with 75% of respondents stating that producing or sharing pirated content is illegal, compared to only 60% recognising that streaming or downloading is illegal.

Latin America and APAC were found to be the regions where a positive outcome of an industry-wide education initiative could have the most impact. Almost three-fifths of consumers who watch pirated content in Latin America, and 55% in APAC, stated they would watch less or stop watching pirated video content after learning that piracy results in revenue loss from studios, affecting investments in future content creation. Conversely, only 45% in Europe and 38% of respondents from the US said that they would watch less or stop watching pirated content.

Laptops were universally the preferred device for the consumption of pirated video content. Consumers in Europe (65%), APAC (45%), Latin America (53%) and the US (41%) all stated that this was their most frequent method of consuming pirated content. However, many 18-24-year-olds surveyed indicating that they use mobile or streaming devices the most to watch or access pirated video content. Despite a lot of media interest, the Kodi box only registered as a top device to pirate content in the UK, with 11% of pirating consumers using the streaming device to access illegal content. The highest percentage of Kodi users in the UK were in the 35-44 and 55 age groups at 18% each. This is compared with 3% of 18-24-year-olds.

The conclusion to be drawn, says Irdeto, is that simply educating consumers in these regions about damages associated with revenue loss may not be enough. It said that the answer could be an education initiative focusing on piracy s impact on the creative process of producing content, coupled with knowledge on how piracy is often linked to criminal organisations and that pirated content could include malware aimed at stealing consumer s personal information, may resonate better in those markets.

A battle is being waged in the media and entertainment industry, said Irdeto CEO Doug Lowther. Legal content offerings are no longer only competing against each other. Pirates have undoubtedly grown into a formidable foe that should not be ignored. With more than half of consumers openly admitting to watching pirated content, it is crucial that the industry tackle piracy head-on. To do so will require technology and services to protect the legal content as well as a comprehensive education programme to help change the behaviour of consumers. Coupled with a 360 anti-piracy strategy, the market is fully prepared to take the battle against piracy to the next level.

Source: Rapid TV News

Related Articles



-- --

-- --

-- Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. comments powered by Disqus

LINK:	http://www.screenafrica.com/page/news/business/1662053-Nearly-half-of-...
	See more stories from screenafrica

Most recent headlines