New release films and TV drive piracy demand in Australia

by Amy Pettinger, Creative Content Australia — September 2024

Each month 6.5 million Australians are watching films, TV shows and live sports through illegal content sites, according to the latest Australian Piracy Behaviours and Attitudes survey released by Creative Content Australia.

STATS AT A GLANCE

• In 2023, 18% of Australians admitted to regularly pirating, down 3% on 2022
• Of those who pirate 11% do it monthly, and 7% weekly
• New movies & TV shows are the most in demand content
• Demand for sport is growing

The pirates surveyed are overwhelmingly younger, professional and educated viewers who are primarily looking for new release film and TV shows. They are driven by a sense of entitlement to access content without having to pay for it. There are many reasons for this, a majority of active pirates believe there is not enough legal content available, and many also say the cost of living is a key driver of their behaviour.

WHAT ATTITUDES ARE DRIVING PIRACY BEHAVIOUR?

• I don’t think there is enough legal content
• The increased cost of living means I’m likely to pirate
• I already pay for a streaming service

Surprisingly, pirates will pay for legal content and might already sign up to a number of legal streaming services but if the show they want isn’t available via that service, then they are not prepared to spend their money elsewhere to legally watching that content. In 2023 those surveyed subscribed to 2.86 streaming services on average, compared to 3.02 in 2022.

While many of these pirates think they’re getting something for nothing, they remain unaware of the personal risks they are undertaking. Cyber issues like ID theft, fraud and hacking continue to plague pirates. The survey compared people who pirate versus those who only watch legal content and found that pirates are three times more likely to have been hacked or had their ID stolen.

PIRATES AT RISK

• 35% of persistent pirates have had viruses on their internet connection, the most common cyber concern
• 23% of Active Pirates have experienced ID theft compared to 5% of non- pirates.
• 2 million Aussie pirates say they have experienced ID theft, fraud or hacking

The 2023 Australian Piracy Behaviours and Attitudes survey is available to download from here.