Piracy: Friend, foe, or both?

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Image source: Marketplace

NPR’s Marketplace radio program, produced by Minnesota Public Radio, ran a radio segment on January 13th 2020 about password sharing, and followed up that broadcast with an article on January 28.

The article says that, on one hand, it is costly: the world’s media companies are increasingly concerned about losses stemming from piracy.  On the other hand, it can help video providers extend their reach.

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Read the article

The Marketplace radio segment included a comment by Piracy Monitor’s Steven Hawley, citing research published by Parks Associates in the report titled Video Piracy: Ecosystem, Risks, and Impact.

Hear the radio broadcast

Why it matters

There is tacit agreement within the media and entertainment community, and among premium video providers that include pay TV and streaming services; that piracy helps them reach audiences that they otherwise would not reach without large marketing investments.

I’ve spoken with more than one video creator who commented that they were okay with some of their programming going out over pirate services because it gave them visibility sufficient to attract new subscribers.

So, for some, it becomes a balance between the revenue lost versus new revenue gained.

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