According to research released by the analytics company MUSO, piracy was shaped by three converging forces in 2024: Content access fragmentation, particularly in streaming; ongoing demand for digital-first formats, especially Manga and episodic TV; and by economic disparities across regions impacting legal adoption.
There was an almost exactly 50-50 split between delivery via streaming versus delivery via download (0.8% less than streaming).
Illegal traffic was greatest via direct-to-consumer delivery, at about 60%. Traffic generated from search results was about 30%. TV had the highest share at about 45%, while just 11.3% of pirated content was film. Publishing constituted 30.7%
Among the top five, the United States had the highest proportion of illegal traffic, at 12.3%, followed by India (8.12%), the Russian Federation (7.12%), Indonesia (5.6%) and Vietnam (3.44%). These last two are a bit unexpected because their piracy rates have gone down substantially since their respective governments enacted site blocking regulation; down by 59% and nearly 50% respectively according to a study by released in December 2024.
Piracy driven by Manga and Anime
In 2024, Manga accounted for more than 70% of all publishing piracy, said MUSO. Overall, the increase in publishing piracy was 4.3%.
In the TV programming category, Anime made for about 28% of stolen content; the second-largest driver of TV piracy globally. MUSO concluded that the high-frequency release model and delayed localisation cycles for Anime content make it especially susceptible to unlicensed distribution.
TV piracy
The top five countries for TV piracy were the US, Russian Federation, Ukraine, the UK and Canada
MUSO concludes that piracy persists not because consumers reject legitimacy, but because legitimate options still fail to meet expectations in price, access, or timing.
MUSO’s data from 2024 makes this clear:
- Publishing piracy is now structurally driven, not seasonal
- TV remains hampered by platform fragmentation
- Film piracy reflects real-time release trends
- Music and software sectors show what success looks like when access models evolve
- Piracy insights can directly inform revenue recovery strategies
Piracy is a map of unmet audience demand and a signal of where the industry must go next.
Further reading
What 216 billion visits to piracy sites reveal about global media in 2024 (Landing page with signup form). Report. June 2025. MUSO
Why it matters
MUSO’s findings seem to run counter to much of the piracy data being released by other sources. Mediavision, for example, found piracy to be up 18% in the Nordic countries. In India, piracy was estimated to cost the media industry $1.2 Billion in lost revenue in 2024, which would double by 2029 if the increase continues on its current path.
But to be fair MUSO’s report quantified instances of fraudulent use, which is not the complete piracy picture. It did not measure “halo” effects such as advertising fraud, or the effects of malware; nor did it measure the economic effects outside of direct revenue-generation, such as loss of tax revenue and support to regional economies by employees of the media industry.
