Much like when the DVD was in its prime, now that SVOD is thriving across the globe, there is a whole host of pirates just waiting to get their greasy paws on your content. Let's check on the latest updates on the ever-present fight against piracy in the video world.
Video piracy not yet at bay
Now, despite recent innovations geared towards tackling SVOD piracy, it's still a big problem in some regions.
Let's check Europe for start. According to a new research from Mediavision, as of spring 2017, 16% of Scandinavians aged 15 - 74 have fessed up to engaging in the illegal downloading and streaming of video content. Piracy is at its highest in Sweden, where the corresponding figure is 24% - a whopping three times higher than in Finland. Overall, these Nordic video pirates consume approximately 400 million films and TV episodes every year.
What's also interesting is that while video piracy in the USA has dwindled, in Asia it's gone the opposite direction. Plus, the rise of legally available content hasn't stopped Singapore from being ranked among the top 10 countries per capita that pirate video content.
The fightback
But, despite SVOD piracy still being rife in some areas, content providers like Netflix are fighting back…
Recently, someone rather amusingly named "TheDarkOverlord" stole almost all of the new season of Netflix's popular series, Orange Is the New Black, from a post-production studio and demanded ransom.
Netflix refused to pay and TheDarkOverlord put the series on Pirate Bay for those craving a fix of the show to download via torrents. Netflix doesn't seem phased and its viewing figures remain healthy.
In this day and age, consumers are looking for quality plus convenience and on the whole, downloading pirated material is time-consuming and usually offers a poor viewing experience.
The SVOD giant’s stance on pirates like TheDarkOverlord makes piracy pointless while making acts like this all the less potent. Also, due to the notion of the subscription, most people want instant access to a host of content, meaning that to offer any real value, pirates would have to offer consumers almost everything on the Netflix platform for free to truly succeed.
SVOD publishers join forces
Not only this but in a bid to end SVOD piracy, 30 companies have joined forces to create the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE).
ACE includes the like of Amazon, BBC Worldwide, Foxtel, NBCUniversal and Paramount Pictures, among many others, and by using a combined pool of resources, intelligence, and research, the group aims to get rid of digital video pirates for good.
Also, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has issued a judgment on the liability of those selling set-top boxes containing pre-installed add-ons enabling unauthorized access to motion pictures as well as to Pay-TV and SVOD platforms. In a bid to crack down on piracy, the ECJ’s decision leans in favor of the media industry, rather than the individual user or vendors of set-top boxes.
As the fight against SVOD piracy hots up, we expect more radical developments to take place - and as things unfold, it will be interesting to see what those developments will be.
Today's focus is on value for money, a top quality user experience, and a library of legal content that engages, entertains and inspires. There's simply no room for pirates anymore.
