Movie piracy has surged significantly during quarantine

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

To the surprise of most likely no one, movie piracy has surged significantly since quarantine started in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. While there are various streaming surfaces and VOD releases readily available to us, some people are choosing to go with the "watch it for free approach."

According to a new study conducted by Muso, via "The Hollywood Reporter", visits to illegal movie streaming and downloading sites went up by 41.4 percent in the U.S. during the last week of March, when compared to the final week of February. The trend is also similar in the U.K. where they experienced a 42.5 percent increase in traffic. This trend was largely consistent throughout Europe, with Italy seeing a staggering 66 percent bump while Germany's traffic to these sites increased by 35.5 percent.

The sites being looked at are websites specifically aimed at movies. TV piracy increased by 8.7 percent in the U.S. during the time period covered by the study, which is smaller in terms of a percentage of growth. That being said, TV piracy is magnitudes greater, as Muso logged 601.3 million visits, in total, to TV piracy sites during the last week of March. Movie sites, on the other hand, saw just 137.4 million total visits. Andy Chatterley, CEO of Muso, had this to say about the surge in piracy:

"Piracy or unlicensed consumption trends are closely linked to paid-for or licensed content. So, just as Netflix has seen large subscriber gains, we have seen a significant spike in visits to film piracy sites."

Even though visits to these sites have increased, consumers are still seeking out content in a legitimate fashion.  Netflix recently reported adding a record number of streaming subscribers in the first quarter of 2020 and Disney+ has surpassed 50 million subscribers. Studies have also shown that traffic on streaming services has increased a great deal as people are practicing social distancing. Movie piracy has always been an industry concern but the spike during this time period is all about movie theaters being closed. There are fewer options for new movies available and that helps to explain the dramatic surge in piracy, specifically for movies.  In the TV landscape, content is spread across a wider variety of platforms and networks. As cable subscriptions decrease and more streaming services take over, it has become more attractive for some to pirate shows they don't have access to through legal channels. In the case of movies, they are slightly less spread out.

How are YOU choosing to watch content during quarantine?