The Asia Video Industry Video Association (AVIA) released 2019 survey data for online viewing behavior by consumers in Taiwan. It found that 33% of consumers have accessed streaming or torrent Web sites to access premium video content without paying subscription fees.
The study also found that 28% of consumers use illicit streaming devices (ISDs) which come pre-bundled with access to hundreds of stolen video channels and thousands of on-demand items. AVIA’s Coalition Against Piracy (CAP) commissioned YouGov to conduct the research.
Researchers found that the rate of pirated video usage skewed higher in younger and higher-income consumer brackets. 47% of 18-24 year-olds and 61% of 25-34 year-olds used apps or ISDs to access pirate sources. Higher income groups accounted for the highest rate of usage – 43%, compared with 25% among the low-income group.
Both of these findings are similar to 2019 statistics for Australia, which were published in December by the Australian Government’s Department of Communications and the Arts.
Further details are available in the AVIA press release
Why it matters
The fact that pirate video use is more common among younger consumer segments, coupled with the finding that about half of the consumers who purchased such devices subsequently cancelled their pay TV subscriptions are troubling signs for the pay TV industry.
This situation also underscores the need for strong anti-piracy initiatives in that region; in which the entire industry ecosystem collaborates with Internet companies, regulators and international law enforcement to address it.
