The massive crackdown on watching illegal content is on. From mobile phones, tablets, to Smart TVs, their use of digital consumption is always increasing, and they are the go-to choices to access television, films, music, and games, whether it’s legal or illegal.
Platforms like Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime used to be extremely popular. These platforms offered us a time of affordable and central entertainment; however, today, that is something we can only wish for.
As subscription prices continue to rise, content is being scattered, and restrictions are coming into place. These restrictions have led to consumers becoming irritated and searching for alternatives that take them back to how accessing content was.
What is piracy?
Online piracy is illegally copying, distributing, or consuming copyrighted/digital content like movies, series, music, and games without the permission of the original copyright holder.
Piracy involves using methods to access online content for free, violating copyright laws. These methods could be:
- Peer-to-peer (P2P): This is the sharing of digital files among peers. When using P2P networks, you are allowing files found on your device to be available for copying by other users. These files won’t just be accessible to your friends; they can be accessed by millions of people around the world who are a part of the same P2P network.
- Streaming Sites: Illegal streaming sites allow you to access unauthorised copyrighted content on demand without downloading an illegal file. The sites may stream directly or link over to the content hosted on another site. Hosting unauthorised content and linking to content is illegal.
- Pirated Software-: This involves downloading a piece of software without purchasing the licence. This often involves the use of crack files, which bypass software activation or licensing systems, allowing free use.
- Cyberlockers: Cyberlockers are a file storage and file sharing service for various content types like Photos, videos, and sound files. It is a fast and anonymous way to distribute the content, which can be downloaded and streamed online.
Why is piracy so popular?
Over the years, apps such as Netflix and Sky have changed dramatically and left consumers wondering about other options. Some of the key reasons as to why people are unsatisfied are:
- Rising subscription costs: Platforms such as Netflix and Disney+ have gradually raised subscription prices over time, with many introducing multiple subscriptions with different perks, such as watching shows ad-free. These higher prices have made it harder for many people to keep paying, especially considering that this coincides with rising inflation rates.
- Content distribution: This is where popular shows and films are spread across multiple platforms. This then forces consumers to buy multiple subscriptions to gain access to the popular shows and films.
- Password-sharing restrictions: Recently, many platforms have not allowed people to share accounts. Platforms like Netflix have implemented restrictions already. Measures that companies are using have led to isolating the consumer who uses the shared accounts to make it easier for cost management.
- Content removal: Throughout recent years, many platforms have been removing popular content from their sites. This can be annoying for consumers as they expect to have access to this content.
These issues have left consumers frustrated. The convenience of having access to all aspects of these platforms is slowly going away. As a result of this, they are seeking alternatives and turning to piracy.
The consequences of illegal streaming
People who use illegal TV streaming services may face criminal charges, including those under Section 11 of the Fraud Act of 2006. If you’re found guilty of this offence, you could be fined a large amount and possibly be imprisoned for up to five years.
In the recent crackdown on piracy, many people have been imprisoned or fined for selling illegal content, but the police aren’t stopping with the sellers to take out illegal content.
Although people who are just consuming content will face less severe consequences. They can still be fined thousands and possibly face up to 12 months in prison.
Devices such as Amazon Fire TV Stick are legal when used to watch actual free-to-air content, but become illegal once they have been developed to stream illegal content like TV shows and films without paying the subscriptions to access them legally.
Moving forward
Moving forward, we need to learn these valuable lessons that piracy has given us; piracy will skyrocket and become the new normal. The way to put those into action is by listening to what consumers want and need:
- The affordability of subscriptions, without minimising the quality of their services provided.
- Having the most popular shows in areas that are central for people, as this will draw more people in, so viewings go up.
- Removing restrictions, allowing customers to share their accounts with whoever they choose.
Allowing these changes to happen will get customers to regain trust in streaming platforms and use them regularly again
The popularity of streaming services has been built upon three crucial foundations, so why were they all changed? To remain popular and stay alive, these platforms need to consider changing their current strategies by listening to and prioritising the consumer.
Some change is happening with Sky. It was announced this week that the ‘world’s first’ plans to bring together several streaming platforms as part of a single TV subscription.
Consumers will soon be able to watch Disney+, Netflix, Hayu, and HBO Max alongside Sky’s original shows and exclusives as part of the package, which will begin in March.
For the UK and the future of streaming, this is a step in the right direction at this moment in time. But as we have seen, going forward, we need to keep up to date with the streaming world, and adapt to what consumers’ needs are for piracy to drop dramatically and be a thought that is locked away, rather than acted on.
