The anticipated reboot of the roaring twenties teased the world with promises of prosperity and booming culture. But many of us were left scrambling to cancel our subscri ptions after the horrific season premiere we didn t ask for that has given us no choice but to sit it out and anxiously await the finale.
This year has single-handedly flipped the film industry on its head and is responsible for the proclaimed death of cinema. James Bond failed to dazzle us with a miraculous escape, effectively securing the hinges on Cineworld s coffin. Perhaps movies and cinema are officially a thing of the past, maybe inevitably so following the upsurge of watchers turning to SVOD and TV series. But we re still plagued with our Ernst Stavro Blofeld amidst all this: piracy. When should we step back, rethink and devise a new and relevant plan of action to mobilise pirates into paid customers?
Piracy has existed since the advent of entertainment and has been lurking ever since. And it s not limited to maritime thieves donning eye patches and hobbling on top of a wooden leg piracy doesn t discriminate and most of them are normal people representing a wider demographic than imagined.
MUSO s data reveals that unlicensed streaming attracts men and women almost equally (55% and 45% respectively), though notes that torrenting is male dominated (70%) which implies a higher level of intent. Surely these profiles match those of fans, especially when considering that these users are not passively turning to illegal streaming sites, but rather actively seeking out titles. Torrent users can then be likened to the hardcore fanbase, as their desire for ownership of the film exceeded that of a one-time watch.
A study conducted by the University of Amsterdam in 2018 highlighted that even though less people are watching illegally now, the increase in per capita consumption exposes the fewer watchers today as consuming more on aggregate. These are clearly people who are turning to illegal channels simply because they want more content.
The study acknowledged that whilst the primary reason for downloading videos illegally was saving costs, they made clear that pirates are not financially struggling and that there is little difference between pirates and legal users in regard to education and employment status. In fact, more than 95% of internet pirates are also legal consumers, and their legal consumption is twice that of those who only consume legally.
It sounds astonishing at first, but is this overlap really surprising after identifying pirates as fans? Or is it consistent that those with stronger intent to watch TV firstly, do it more often and secondly, are prepared to go to further lengths to do so?
Being able to separate these pirates from the perceived Big Bad Wolf meets hacker persona and classify them instead as TV lovers is the first step to establishing them formally as paid customers. Their favourite titles are the metaphorical loot, and when companies can equip themselves with this understanding and a subsequent plan of delivery, expect the extinction of eye patches, old sport.
