Streaming services are 'killing' piracy, New Zealand study claims

[Polycount]

Big quote: "The research confirms something many internet pundits have long instinctively believed to be true: piracy isn’t driven by law-breakers, it’s driven by people who can’t easily or affordably get the content they want."

Recent studies conducted by Vocus Group NZ (a New Zealand-based telecommunications organization) reveal that media piracy is primarily caused by failures on the content provider side, and not an innate desire to break the law among pirates themselves.

Obviously, free content is free content. As such, there will always be a sizable number of individuals who will choose to access content illegitimately at no cost no matter what media providers do.

However, Vocus claims that offering customers content cheaply and conveniently is a much better way to win over pirates than site blocking or other more heavy-handed measures. This is why services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Spotify are as popular (and successful) as they are.

"The research confirms something many internet pundits have long instinctively believed to be true: piracy isn’t driven by law-breakers, it’s driven by people who can’t easily or affordably get the content they want," Vocus Group said in a statement.

"The research confirms something many internet pundits have long instinctively believed to be true: piracy isn’t driven by law-breakers, it’s driven by people who can’t easily or affordably get the content they want."

The study in question was conducted among "more than a thousand" New Zealand residents from "all walks of life." Researchers found that when content was made available to participants at a "fair price," they were more than willing to pay for it instead of resorting to piracy.

Indeed, according to Vocus, only 3 percent of survey respondents preferred to watch pirated content. By contrast, a whopping 29 percent selected paid streaming services (like Netflix and Spotify) as their preferred content consumption method.

With their findings in mind, Vocus Group feels that piracy as a whole is dying out; at least as it relates to the music and video industries.

Apparently, even study participants that occasionally watch pirated content say they'd be willing to stop if existing streaming services brought costs down or expanded their content libraries.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/78977-streaming-services-killing-piracy-new-zealand-study-claims.html

 

[OutlawCecil]

In contrast, people don't mind monthly payments when it includes what they want, but now with so many shows splitting into their exclusive places to stream, nobody will want to pay monthly for Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Disney, Apple, DC Universe...etc the list goes on. Options are nice but not when you need all of them to see all the shows you want to watch. I expect piracy to be on the rise once again in 2019.

 

[qking]

In contrast, people don't mind monthly payments when it includes what they want, but now with so many shows splitting into their exclusive places to stream, nobody will want to pay monthly for Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Disney, Apple, DC Universe...etc the list goes on. Options are nice but not when you need all of them to see all the shows you want to watch. I expect piracy to be on the rise once again in 2019.

Agreed. Monopoly can have a benefit, singular source. When others realise the money to be made, services split off and confuse some consumers, who revert to their old ways. Piracy isn't dying off, it's just dormant because currently, the path of least resistance is normally through legitimate means.

 

[Evernessince]

In contrast, people don't mind monthly payments when it includes what they want, but now with so many shows splitting into their exclusive places to stream, nobody will want to pay monthly for Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Disney, Apple, DC Universe...etc the list goes on. Options are nice but not when you need all of them to see all the shows you want to watch. I expect piracy to be on the rise once again in 2019.

Agreed. Monopoly can have a benefit, singular source. When others realise the money to be made, services split off and confuse some consumers, who revert to their old ways. Piracy isn't dying off, it's just dormant because currently, the path of least resistance is normally through legitimate means.

Having all content in one place isn't a monopoly and you are confusing the use of that word. It'd be like if I said the buffet had a monopoly on food.

In this case all content being available on a single platform doesn't prevent it from also being available on other platforms and thus fundamentally not a monopoly. That's a huge difference and you'd be wise not to paint real monopolies in a positive light.

 

[misor]

Remove data limits.
increase availability of shows via streaming services and eliminate regional schemes.

most will no longer pirate since all shows are already available when they want it.

 

[toooooot]

I donated some money to the place I can download free mp3 recently...

 

[qking]

Sure perhaps monopoly wasn't the best word to convey the sentiment, which you'd have done well to focus on instead. It's easier for most people if everything is in one place. ...Like A buffet. But when different menus items get moved to another restaurant...people don't want to have to go there as well to get what they want.

 

[amghwk]

Nah...nothing can defeat piracy. Pirates themselves offer "streaming" for free.

 

[Kytetiger]

So, piracy diminished because there was finally alternatives...

It all boils down to a simple "carrot and stick" situation

 

[Capaill]

For me it definitely comes down to choice. Partially price, but mainly choice. I used to torrent because it was the only way to watch TV shows that were impossible to find anywhere else other than ordering region-locked boxset DVDs from the US. I then almost signed up to Netflix until I realised that its selection is different in different regions - I think the US gets the best selection, the UK is pretty good, and Ireland (where I am) is not good. It had about 2 shows that I wanted to watch and nothing else interested me. Not worth 12 euro a month for that. I could stream from alternative sources or I could get a VPN to fake a US IP and get Netflix there but I'd guess that both of those are considered a form of piracy. So now I've mostly given up on TV and watch YouTube videos instead. Or play games.
I would happily pay up to 20 or maybe even 30 euro a month if it had everything I wanted to watch with a good user interface and good customer care. Any online provider (eg. Netflix) or TV provider (eg. Sky, Virgin Media) could do that and compete on price, user interface, customer care, quality of service (no buffering), cost of addons like Sports streams, cost of HD or 4K and quality apps. But they would have to offer everything, no more exclusive streams/channels. Any current exclusive channels like Sky Atlantic or HBO should be available to all providers but at a reasonable price.

 

[ShObiT]

Nothing to do with the "LAW", I just want easy to get content, Some companies got you doing more steps than getting a torrent, or they just block your whole continent out of the content, Looking at you Prime video, Hulu and others. Even Netflix some times do that, but they take their time to add other Dubs.

 

[Lew Zealand]

So now I've mostly given up on TV and watch YouTube videos instead. Or play games.

Heh, this is exactly where I am right now.

 

[wiyosaya]

Sorry to put it this way, but this is so years ago news - 2012 in fact. https://dottech.org/84810/people-wh...an-people-who-dont-pirate-according-to-study/

 

[EClyde]

Media companies are ripping ya off...just a nother billion please sir

 

[toooooot]

I only hope that TV in its current state dies first.

 

[kira setsu]

In contrast, people don't mind monthly payments when it includes what they want, but now with so many shows splitting into their exclusive places to stream, nobody will want to pay monthly for Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Disney, Apple, DC Universe...etc the list goes on. Options are nice but not when you need all of them to see all the shows you want to watch. I expect piracy to be on the rise once again in 2019.

This is the perfect answer, at the rate things are going people will still end up paying more to chase down all the shows that are split onto different services.

honestly piracy may end up hitting even harder next time around since all of the content is readily available and in pristine digital shape to be shared anyway, why pay when you know that your trusty "source" will post a perfect version anyway, time for these companies to bury the hatchet and cooperate before they doom themselves...again.