Digital

OfCom publishes piracy report

By | Published on Tuesday 12 March 2013

OfCom

Media regulator OfCom has published a report based on research into digital content consumption and piracy by Kantar Media, in which 5500 people were surveyed about how they consumed content online between the start of August and end of October last year.

According to the poll, 5% of those surveyed admitted to exclusively accessing content via unlicensed platforms, while 16% admitted to accessing at least one piece of content from an illegal source. 10% of those surveyed admitted to accessing at least some music from non-legit platforms.

Of the pirates surveyed, over a third said they were still using good old P2P networks to access unlicensed content, while 10% were raiding unlocked digital lockers to find free stuff. In terms of motivation, half admitted the fact illegal content was free was a key factor, while convenience and speed were also noted by nearly half, with 26% claiming they used illegal services as a ‘try before I buy’ facility.

In terms of turning those pesky pirates into consumers of digital content, nearly a third said cheaper legal services might appeal, while a quarter cited confusion over what is legit and not legit, and a similar number claimed that some of the content they wanted just wasn’t available via licensed platforms.

Less than a fifth reckoned a threatening letter from their internet service provider, like those in theory due to be sent out next year under the long-awaited three-strikes system outlined in the 2010 Digital Economy Act, would affect their online content habits.

You can download the report in full here.



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