According to a report by piracy research firm MUSO published in Variety in early February, digital piracy is on the rise and is not expected to slow down anytime soon.
The report said that in 2022, pirated movies increased by about 39% compared to 2021, while visits to pirated websites to watch TV series increased by about 9%. Pirated content is expected to continue to increase through 2023.
“This trend continues to be a major challenge for the industry, significantly impacting the incomes and livelihoods of everyone involved – especially small, independent creators – and harming the broader economy,” the report said.
In 2019, the US Chamber of Commerce’s Center for Global Innovation Policy reported that piracy costs the US film and TV industry between $29 billion and $71 billion annually.
MUSO attributes the increase in piracy to several factors, including economic pressures. In 2022, many streaming platforms such as Netflix and Disney Plus increased their prices. In addition, Netflix announced that it will begin to take drastic measures against password sharing after reporting that it lost nearly 1 million subscribers in the second quarter.
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A 2019 study by New Zealand-based Vocus Group found that making content cheaper and more easily available helps stop piracy much more than new laws and regulations do.
“These two options were far ahead of other options, at 57 percent and 48 percent, respectively,” said Taryn Hamilton, consumer general manager of Vocus Group. It was thought to be effective by him.”