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Netflix Piracy Thrives as Subscribers Rethink Their Streaming SubscriptionsErnesto Van der Sar, 09 Aug 11:17 AM As the first major legal subscriptio

Netflix Piracy Thrives as Subscribers Rethink Their Streaming Subscriptions Ernesto Van der Sar, 09 Aug 11:17 AM As the first major legal subscription streaming service on the Internet, Netflix paved the way for a streaming revolution. The company began competing with piracy from the get-go, branding itself as a superior alternative. In the early years, the strategy paid off. Millions of subscribers switched from casually consuming pirated content on unlicensed platforms in favor of a convenient and reasonably-priced legal alternative. Piracy never went away, but downloading Netflix content illegally seemed silly. Streaming Wars In the years that followed the legal streaming landscape became more crowded. Inspired by Netflix's success, new streaming portals such as Amazon, Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu, Paramount+, and Peacock started competing for a share of the lucrative streaming market. The media often refers to this competition as the "streaming wars," but the real threat may not come from legal streaming services but illegal pirate sites. The suggestion that "subscription fatigue" may motivate people to start pirating again isn't new. We have highlighted this issue in the past and it has been confirmed by research, but it's now reaching a point where it's hard for Hollywood to ignore. Piracy tracking firm MUSO recognizes the problem too. In addition to doing anti-piracy work for major copyright holders, the UK company also helps major players such as Amazon, Lionsgate, and Sony, to understand the latest piracy trends. Piracy is Appealing Once Again In an op-ed, MUSO CEO Andy Chatterley highlights that increased fragmentation in the streaming ecosystem, paired with higher prices, is starting to make piracy more appealing again. And without an option to pay for everything, people are seeking out alternatives. "[F]aced with an increasingly fractured streaming landscape, the consumer does the math and realizes that having access to all the shows they want to watch is not a justifiable expense when their grocery bill has doubled and they're cycling or carpooling to work to save money on fuel," Chatterley says. "And in the absence of a one-stop shop like Spotify is to music lovers, and now that piracy sites have evolved to become sophisticated, easy-to-use experiences, people who have never resorted to piracy before are finding it more appealing than ever. Everything you could ever want to watch, all in one place, only a few clicks away and all for free. What's not to like?" Netflix Piracy Thrives Chatterley notes that copyright holders should be aware of this potential shift in user behavior, which is backed up by data. Earlier this year Netflix reported that its subscriber numbers had dropped for the first time in history and piracy continues to grow. According to MUSO's data, Netflix content was good for an 11.4% U.S. piracy market share in June. Globally, this number is even higher, with Netflix content making up 16% of the worldwide piracy demand. "Now, imagine if they could convert those pirate consumers into paying customers," Chatterley comments. MUSO's messaging is in part out of self-interest as the company offers piracy insights as a commercial service. This is serious business for Muso. Just last week the company announced that it had secured a $3.9M investment from Puma Private Equity. A One-Stop Streaming Solution? That said, the fact that a company working with several Hollywood players is prepared to highlight the dangers of too many subscriptions is quite something. Especially when that company started as a fairly traditional anti-piracy outfit roughly a decade ago. Instead of pointing a finger at pirates, Chatterley focuses more on the shortcomings of the TV and movie industry. Piracy can be lowered by offering a one-stop solution for a fair price but somehow that seems to be a pipe dream. "By offering a service that is both comprehensive and good value for money, you render piracy a much less attractive option," he writes. "But with content providers investing billions in their platforms and determined to keep their shows exclusive to them, this seems fanciful. And so the drop off in subscribers seems set to continue, with piracy sites continuing to welcome them with open arms," Chatterley concludes. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more. BREIN Took 349 Pirate Sites and Services Offline Last Year Ernesto Van der Sar, 08 Aug 07:32 PM When it comes to civil anti-piracy enforcement, BREIN is without a doubt one of the most active players in the industry. The group, which receives support from Hollywood and other content industries, has a track record of targeting a wide range of piracy threats, both large and small. While most of these anti-piracy actions are the result of in-house investigative work, BREIN certainly doesn't shy away from court appearances, where setting a favorable precedent is seen as more important than obtaining monetary damages. This week, the group announced its latest annual report, providing insights into the priorities of the organization and the progress being made. 349 Shutdowns Looking at the numbers we see that the anti-piracy group has closed the books on a rather productive year. In total, it completed 368 investigations which resulted in the shutdown of 349 illegal sites and services. These targets include 179 Pirate Bay proxies, 39 streaming sites, and 38 heavy uploaders, plus open directories, Facebook groups, and sellers of illegal IPTV subscriptions. In addition, over 650,169 links to pirate sites were removed from third-party search engines such as Google. BREIN also kept a close eye on advertisements for pirate services and other illegal offerings. A total of 3,210 advertisements were flagged and reported, while 18 persistent advertisers were identified and stopped. Pirate Bay Blockade Expands The above numbers surely make a difference but there is more to report. Following ten years of legal action, in 2020 BREIN finally won the site-blocking battle in the Netherlands and last year this blockade was strengthened. In November, BREIN signed a deal with all large Dutch Internet providers to streamline the blocking process. Through this "Website Blocking Covenant," the Internet providers promise to block pirate sites when rightsholders obtain a blocking order against one of the other ISPs. While not mentioned in BREIN's annual report, the group booked another significant blocking victory last year. Following a notice from BREIN, Google voluntarily removed all Pirate Bay URLs from its search results in the Netherlands. The blocking doesn't stop at The Pirate Bay either. In 2021, BREIN initiated a new legal proceeding to block six additional torrent sites. That effort eventually resulted in a new blocking order against the ISP Delta a few months ago, which was voluntarily adopted by other ISPs. Camcording, Settlements and Warnings Aside from the blocking action, BREIN also took a variety of other enforcement actions. The group investigated six illegal cam recordings that appeared to originate from Dutch movie theaters. This investigation, which also involves the MPA, remains pending. The anti-piracy group further reports that 54 settlements were reached with pirates, while 18 received a house visit, often with help from a debt collector. The targets often include site operators or people who make pirated content available. Amidst all the positive achievements, there was also a setback. Several years ago BREIN initiated a campaign to identify heavy BitTorrent uploaders so they could be warned and educated. Thus far, the first warning is yet to go out. The annual report notes that 920 persistent uploaders have been identified by their IP addresses thus far but Internet provider Ziggo is refusing to forward infringement notices. Ziggo has a court decision in its favor but that is under appeal and may eventually end up at the Supreme Court. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more. ©2022 TorrentFreak | Office 21338 PO Box 4336 Manchester, North West M61 0BW United Kingdom Web Version   Preferences   Forward   Unsubscribe     Powered by Mad Mimi®A GoDaddy® company