While Australians consumed more content than ever in 2023 across virtually all content model categories, the percentage of consumers classified as ‘active pirates’ decreased from 21% in 2022, to 18% in 2023 – a significant reduction. This continued a trend that began in 2020.
The frequency of piracy occurrances also decreased: in 2022, 44% of consumers surveyed said that they had consumed illegal sources less frequently compared with the year before. In 2023, it was 52%.
About two thirds of the respondents said that their reduced rates was because they had access to enough content through legitimate paid and free services that piracy became less of a priority. About a third said that it took too much time and trouble to find illegal sources and 22% felt badly about doing it.
Piracy decreased across many content genres – movies, TV shows, foreign language films – the only categories that went up were overseas and Australian sporting events.
One reason given by consumers for illegal consumption was the increasing cost of living. Nearly half of ‘persistent pirates’ (those who accessed content illegally at least once per week) thought it was okay to access pirated content if they were already paying for a legal streaming service.
Who are they?
Piracy consumers are majority male. The highest rates are among consumers aged 18 through 39. While 14% of those making less than AU$50,000 per year admit to being active pirates, the rate is nearly half among consumers making AU$90,000 or more.
While they should know better, significant percentages of pirates have Bachelors degrees or higher.
Piracy consumers aren’t easily deterred
Fewer consumers were deterred by site blocking in 2023 than in 2022: only 21% of frustrated consumers gave up after encountering a block, down from 26%; while the percentage of piracy consumers using VPNs to get around blocking nearly doubled, from 11% to 19%. Use of Open DNS services also increased. 37% of piracy consumers use both open DNS and VPN services.
The likely suspects are also enablers
More than two thirds (68%) of active piracy consumers turn to YouTube for TV programs and movies. A significant percentage of piracy users turn to social media for illegal access, with 40% of them going to Facebook, 30% to TikTok and 28% to Instagram.
Cybersecurity concerns
When asked whether they had been experiencing cybersecurity issues, active pirates admitted to being victimized to a greater degree, across the board. Reported incidents of fraud were up by 34% among active piracy consumers, compromise of personal details up 32%. Hacking was up 31%, and ransomware attacks were up by one fourth
Anti-piracy Campaign launched
In response to the findings of this report, Creative Content Australia launched a three-month anti-piracy campaign with the support of Australia’s media industry to warn consumers of the risks of watching TV, film and live sport on unofficial sites and to inform consumers about safeguarding their privacy.
The campaign was produced by the HOYTS Group, which created three television commercials as well as static companion assets to highlight the risky nature of illegal streaming sites and the scale of cybercrime issues for Australians.
The campaign will also be supported by in-kind advertising from Australian media organizations including FOXTEL, Val Morgan, Seven Network, SBS, Network Ten, ARN, Fetch, QMS, oOH, Optus Sport, Flicks and Just Watch.
Further reading
Australian Piracy Behaviours and Attitudes. 2023 Wave 15 Adults. Statistical report. August 2024. Creative Content Australia
Why it matters
While piracy access continues to go down incrementally – an encouraging sign – the major online platforms continue to present red flags to the media and entertainment industries. While Google and Meta profess vigilance against piracy, both companies are widely known to expose stolen content through their platforms.
On the consumer side, Creative Content Australia chair Chris Chard said more than two million Australians who admit to visiting illegal streaming sites or pirate sites say they’ve experienced a form of online crime.
“People who use these sites are three times more likely to experience identity theft, fraud or hacking, compared to people who only access entertainment via legitimate means. The risk is high and it only takes one visit,” he said.
“(The latest consumer) campaign aims to educate and protect consumers, along with the content industry, which is unfairly impacted by the use of these sites as they make significant revenues without any money flowing back to the creators or rights holders.”
