You wouldn’t steal a car? This was a famous ad that ran for a good while in the US in the early aughts. Now, of course, you wouldn't steal one. But for some people, downloading it is another matter.
In this article, we will talk about digital piracy and its effects. Below you can find piracy statistics and data that provide an overview of digital piracy today, its effects, and what people think of the “industry.”
The Top Piracy Statistics You Should Know in 2023
Digital piracy increased by 18% in 2022.
Globally, 35% of digital media consumers actively search for pirated content.
Adobe Photoshop was the most pirated software in 2022.
Spider-Man: No Way Home was the most pirated movie in 2022.
The Office Saw an increase in piracy after it was removed from Netflix.
40% of young people in the EU pirate.
Higher GDP per capita leads to lower digital piracy rates.
House of the Dragon was the most pirated TV show in 2022.
In 2021, Microsoft researchers proposed a bounty system to lower piracy.
Covid Lockdowns increased TV and film piracy by 33%.
General Stats and Facts About Piracy
Visits to digital piracy websites rose by 18% in 2022.
According to current piracy statistics, traffic toward digital piracy websites is rising. In 2022, there were 215 billion global visits to piracy websites, an 18% increase when compared to 2021. The film piracy sector had the highest growth, increasing by 36%.
As far as total traffic share is concerned, 46% was directed towards TV piracy, while film piracy was at 13%. Publishing was surprisingly high, with 27.5% of the global piracy traffic share.
(Variety)
11% of All Americans claimed they pirated TV, Movie, or Live Sports content in 2022.
So roughly 23 million American adults admitted to piracy in 2022. Of those polled, 8% responded with “not sure,” while 5% claimed they “prefer not to say.”
When asked why they watched or downloaded pirated content, 48% claimed the cost of the content was too high, 36% said content wasn't available anywhere else, and 32% claimed it was not available in their region.
This poll does not include music, publishing, or any other industry besides TV, movies, and live sports streaming.
(Variety)
Globally, 35% of consumers actively search for pirated content.
Digital piracy statistics clearly show that more than a third of the world's media consumers actively search for pirated content. The poll included all categories of content, including music, film, TV, sports, and many other segments.
Furthermore, of those polled in the YouGov study, 27% said they neither agree nor disagree with the statement that they actively search, 8% said they don't know, while only 30% expressly said they don't.
These numbers vary by location, where of those polled in Hong Kong, China, and the United Arab Emirates, 58%, 55%, and 52%, respectively, agree.
Of the countries polled, Denmark was the lowest, with only 18% of those polled claiming they actively searched for pirated content.
(YouGov)
82% of all pirated traffic directed toward top piracy sites is proxied through Cloudflare.
Cloudflare is not actually a VPN but a secure network that keeps you private. However, pirates use it to hide their online activity and safely and securely download illegal content.
Cloudflare has been repeatedly informed and warned that it is being used for illicit purposes. It should be pointed out that the 250 top piracy sites used for this study account for roughly 40% of all global piracy.
(Streaming Media Blog)
TV and Film Piracy increased by 33% during the Pandemic lockdowns.
Media piracy increased substantially during the 2020 lockdowns across the globe. In Canada, Film piracy increased by 45%. In the Uk, it increased by 43%, while in Italy, it shot up by 66%.
TV piracy increased as well, usually by one to two-thirds less than film piracy, with the expectation of Russia, where it was higher (18% rise for film and 27% rise for TV).
(Muso)
Harvard lawyers are (relatively) ok with piracy.
A 2021 research paper that studied 50 different Harvard lawyers shows they are relatively lax when it comes to internet piracy. In fact, only 3 lawyers claimed that digital piracy is absolutely illegal and unacceptable.
Many claim that piracy is acceptable if there is a lack of access to certain content due to geographic restrictions or if the content is overpriced (like academic textbooks).
However, far fewer attorneys condoned the use of pirated content for commercial purposes.
(TorrentFreak)
Researchers at Microsoft proposed a bounty system for digital pirates in 2021.
The system is called Argust. It would provide “incentive mechanisms,” according to the paper, which would reward individuals for reporting pirated content.
This would be an Ethereum-based system that allows for anonymous reporting of piracy and, if deemed successful, the whistleblowers would be rewarded.
(Microsoft)
Adobe Photoshop was the most pirated software in 2022.
According to Uswitch’s study, Photoshop has been the most actively searched software on digital piracy sites. Microsoft Word was the second most popular, with half the searches, and Microsoft Office was in third place. Excel, Windows 10, and Powerpoint were very popular as well.
(Uswitch)
Digital Piracy Regulations and the Media
Spider-Man: No Way Home was the most pirated movie of 2022.
Pirating facts and data show that superhero movies accounted for the majority of film piracy in 2022. In fact, No Way Home accounted for 21% of total film piracy demand, with The Batman being in second place at 13%, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness at 10%, and Thor: Love and Thunder and Black Adam being tied at 9%.
Other contenders for the top most pirated film of 2022 were Jurassic World Dominion, Top Gun: Maverick, Eternals, Uncharted, and Encanto.
(Variety)
The Office saw a surge in piracy after it was removed from Netflix.
The US version of the Office is one of the most popular shows of all time. In fact, it beat Gray’s Anatomy and the Mandalorian during the 2020 lockdown. However, on January 1st of, 2021, the show was moved from Netflix to NBC’s Peacock, a streaming service that is nowhere near as popular as the former.
One of the most mentioned reasons for TV piracy is the lack of availability. Almost overnight, the Office became one of the most (illegally) downloaded shows that year.
(Torrent Freak)
The CEO of Time Warner stated that Game of Thrones being the most pirated show in the world is “better than an Emmy.”
Said CEO of Time Warner, which owns HBO which owns Game of Thrones, shared his thoughts at an investors' earnings call.
Furthermore, Director David Petrarca claimed that illegal downloads generate buzz for the show, while G.R.R. Martin considered the show’s massive piracy as a compliment.
(Washington Post)
House of the Dragon was the most pirated show in 2022.
And while we are on the topic of G.R.R. Martin’s work, 2022’s hit House of the Dragon saw equal success in terms of both legal viewership and piracy. In fact, it was the most pirated show of 2022. It dethroned Disney+'s WandaVision in 2021 and the Mandalorian from 2020, also from Disney+.
(Advanced Television)
Ye’s Donda 2 was the most pirated album of 2022.
Music piracy statistics show that Donda 2, a sequel to 2021’s Donda, was the most pirated album of the year.
Arguably the biggest reason behind its status, besides Ye’s popularity, is that at the time, the album was only available on Ye’s official Stem Player device. The device, which is essentially an MP3 player that allows users to modify tracks and split tracks on the fly, costs $200.
(Complete Music Update)
In 2019 Canada allowed three private companies to force an ISP to block a website.
In 2019 the Canadian Federal Court of Appeal approved the country’s first website-blocking framework. Three different television distributors ordered an internet services provider to block all access to “GoldTV'' and its associated websites due to copyright infringement.
However, the Canadian Internet Registration Authority president claimed that this was dangerous for net neutrality, as private companies were allowed to dedicate what an ISP can and cannot do.
Certain academics would not approve of this decision either. According to a highly rated study on online piracy, “the authors can find no impact on the overall supply of pirated goods. “
(Social Science Research Council)
Comparatively, the price of most digital media is substantially higher in developing countries.
One of the core causes of global digital piracy is the high cost of media. In fact, when one accounts for income differences between the US or European countries and places such as Brazil or South Africa, a copy of MS Office is five to ten times more expensive.
(Social Science Research Council)
Digital Piracy Demographics
40% of EU youth pirate.
However, as always, online piracy stats vary by country. For example, in Germany, 25% of their youth pirate media, while 50% do the same in Malta. In France, 10% of people pirate music, while in the Netherlands, it's 1.5%.
It's interesting to note that young people with a college degree are almost twice as likely to pirate media than those with just a secondary education. Furthermore, students with an income pirate more (24%) than those who don't work (18%).
(EUIPO)
55% of EU pirates claim they do so due to cost.
Furthermore, 25% claim availability is the main reason they download illegally. However, the EU report also mentions that content being spread out over multiple streaming platforms is an important piracy factor as well.
When asked what would make them stop, 53% of EU digital pirates stated computer virus or malware infections would prevent them from pirating further, and 36% singled out getting caught and punished.
(EUIPO)
Higher-income inequality is correlated to higher piracy rates in the EU.
The online piracy stats gathered within a 2021 EU report shows that high-income inequality countries pirate to a greater degree.
Said report also shows that richer countries do pirate less, with two cited reasons:
Higher disposable income.
Stronger intellectual property protection systems.
The higher the GDP per capita, the lower the country's digital piracy levels.
(EUIPO)
Would You Download a Car?
Digital piracy is a complex issue, with great disagreement on the severity of its effects on the entertainment industry and content creators. The fact is, however, that digital piracy is illegal, and that pirated content is shared without the approval of creators and entertainment industry companies.
FAQ
What is the most pirated thing in the world?
In 2021, TV made up 50.3% of all traffic that led to digital piracy websites. However, TV includes TV shows and live sports broadcasts. Publishing was in second place, accounting for 23.7% of piracy traffic.
(Muso)
Which country has the most Internet piracy?
The United States accounts for 10.6% of all global traffic directed toward piracy websites. However, this data might not be accurate.
Namely, pirates often use VPNs to “mask” their online identities. These VPNs create fake proxy IP addresses, i.e., your computer’s “online ID” (to oversimplify matters), which are often (falsely) located in the US.
(Muso)
Is Internet piracy on the rise?
Is pirating illegal? Yes, very much so. However, it seems many people are willing to take that risk.
In 2022, film piracy rose by 39%, while TV piracy increased by 9%.
(CNET)
What is the most pirated thing in the world?
Which country has the most Internet piracy?
Is Internet piracy on the rise?
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