Euromedia February March | Page 28

Research

Half consumers willing to reduce content piracy
The largest global consumer piracy online survey ever conducted has found that consumer education could reduce the number of individuals who watch pirated video content . The Irdeto Global Consumer Piracy Survey of more than 25,000 adults across 30 countries found that despite the high number of consumers around the globe watching pirated video content ( 52 %), nearly half ( 48 %) would stop or watch less illegal content after learning the damage that piracy causes the media industry .
According to the digital platform security specialist , this willingness by nearly half of consumers to change their viewing habits speaks to the huge impact that education could have on reducing the number of people who pirate video content .
The positive outcome of an industrywide education initiative could have the most impact in Latin America and APAC . Fifty-nine per cent of consumers who watch pirated content in Latin America and 55 % in APAC stated they would watch less or stop watching pirated video content after learning that piracy results in revenue loss from studios , affecting investments in future content creation .
Conversely , only 45 % in Europe and 38 % of respondents from the US said that they would watch less or stop watching pirated content . This indicates that simply educating consumers in these regions about damages associated with revenue loss may not be enough . However , an education initiative focusing on piracy ’ s impact on the creative process of producing content , coupled with knowledge on how piracy is often linked to criminal organisations and that pirated content could include malware aimed at stealing consumer ’ s personal information , may resonate better in those markets .
“ A battle is being waged in the media and entertainment industry ,” said Doug Lowther , CEO , Irdeto . “ Legal content offerings are no longer only competing against each other . Pirates have undoubtedly grown into a formidable foe that should not be ignored . With more than half of consumers openly admitting to watching pirated content , it is crucial that the industry tackle piracy head-on . To do so will require technology and services to protect the legal content as well as a comprehensive education program to help change the behaviour of consumers .
Coupled with a 360-degree anti-piracy strategy , the market is fully prepared to take the battle against piracy to the next level .”
“ Education around the negative impact of piracy on both the industry and the consumers themselves is an important element of any anti-piracy strategy ,” said Rory O ’ Connor , vice president of services , Irdeto . “ The results of this survey show that many countries are open to change . To elicit this change in consumer habits will take a concerted effort from all the industry players to not only educate consumers about the negative impact of piracy , but also continued innovation to address the three elements of consumer choice – content , value and convenience .”
TV 74.8 % of UK video viewing
Fresh analysis by Thinkbox – the marketing body for commercial TV in the UK – of 2016 video consumption in the UK shows how total video viewing – and viewing of video advertising – breaks down .
The analysis revealed TV accounts for 74.8 % of UK video viewing . This compares to 76 % in 2015 . Total video consumption increased year on year from an average of 4 hours , 35 minutes a day in 2015 to 4 hours , 37 minutes in 2016 .
TV ’ s proportion of total video viewing breaks down as follows :
• Live TV : 60 % of total video viewing ( 61.6 % in 2015 )
• Playback TV ( recorded and watched at a later time ): 10.8 % ( 11.4 % in 2015
• Broadcaster VoD : 3.9 % ( 3 % in 2015 ) The analysis also shows that :
• YouTube accounted for 6.4 % of average video viewing in 2016 , up from 4.4 % in 2015
• Online adult video accounted for 4.9 % in 2016 , compared with 4.4 % in 2015
• Subscription VoD services – including Netflix and Amazon Prime – collectively accounted for 4.1 %, compared with 4 % in 2015
• DVDs increased their share of video time from 2.9 % in 2015 to 3.8 % in 2016
• Facebook was 1.7 %, down from 2.2 % in 2015
• Cinema was 0.4 % in 2016 , unchanged from 2015 . The average person in the UK watched 20 minutes of video advertising a day in 2016 . TV advertising accounted
for 93.8 % ( 18 minutes , 53 seconds a day ), compared with 94.4 % in 2015 . TV advertising is watched full screen , regardless of the device it is watched on , and most likely with the sound on .
“ It is important that advertisers have as clear a view as possible of how the video world looks so they can make informed decisions ,” stated Lindsey Clay , Thinkbox CEO . “ The available data clearly shows that TV is the pre-eminent form of video . However , scale is only one part of the story . An analysis like this can ’ t include things like relative quality and trust , the amount of premium content different video has to offer and , ultimately , advertising effectiveness . In these areas too TV stands out .”
“ TV is a trusted , high quality environment for advertisers that is proven to work . It has a huge variety of premium programming across every genre and can satisfy the demands of many thousands of advertisers simultaneously and for the long-term . Now more than ever these are crucial distinctions between it and a lot of other types of video .”
Warning letters unlikely to stop illegal downloads
Research by broadband comparison website Broadband Genie has revealed the majority ( 72 %) of the public believe piracy warning letters sent by UK ISPs are unlikely to have any impact . Under the Voluntary Copyright Alert Programme ( VCAP ), educational letters are sent to Internet users who are believed to have infringed copyright by sharing material online .
When asked what action would be most effective to stop online piracy , respondents said lower costs for legal content ( 19 %), threat of court action ( 22 %) and the threat of losing their broadband service ( 22 %. However , it was also found that a considerable proportion of users ( 29 %) felt that nothing would stop people from downloading or sharing copyrighted material .
It was also found that many users are confused about what constitutes legal and illegal activity . 26 % did not identify sharing copyrighted material without permission as being illegal , while 39 % said that merely using a peer-to-peer network was against the law , which isn ’ t true if the network is used for legitimate purposes .
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