MIDiA Data Spotlight: Video Piracy P2P Holding on in Emerging Markets
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This is part of MIDiA’s data snapshot series in which we spotlight curated consumer datasets.
Figure Video Piracy is Relegated to Niche Audiences in Developed Markets but Still Has Traction in Emerging Markets
Percentage of Consumers that Use Networks to Download Video, 2018
developed markets piracy has been reduced to a dwindling group of digital migrant diehards. is an anachronistic means of sharing video content which has lost much of its tech relevance in the streaming era. In an on-demand era facilitated by reduced data costs, improved connectivity, and the rise of the smartphone, streaming is both more convenient and more practical than facilitated piracy. has also lost its psychological USP, with the perceived consumer need for ownership being supplanted by the ubiquitous availability of access.
With the key drivers for piracy now being eroded, the activity is in single digits in developed markets, with Germany showing the lowest tolerance for the activity at –reflecting tough national anti-piracy legislation, and with Australia being the highest at In Australia olds account for of all users, followed by year olds with These two age demographics also represent the largest groups engaged in the activity in Germany – accounting for of all German pirates.
In developed markets however it is a different story, with numbers in 2018 at double the developed market equivalents. The highest penetration is Brazil where of consumers engage in piracy. A big driver behind piracy traction in emerging markets is the legacy infrastructure challenges these markets face. Expensive data costs make downloading still a tolerable consumer activity, and weak legal deterrence still make piracy a viable consumer option for many.