Additional findings show that 57% of Russians polled actively viewed pirated content, 38% of them prefer to pirate movies still in the cinema and 75% most often access pirated content on their laptop

Moscow, CSTB - 07 February 2017 - A new online consumer survey from Irdeto, the world leader in digital platform security, found that 87% of Russian consumers polled believe that producing or sharing pirated video content is not against the law and 66% think that streaming or downloading pirate content is also legal. This is in stark contrast to the reality, which is that unauthorized copying, broadcasting, distribution or reproduction of copyrighted material, including audio-visual content, is unlawful in Russia as it is in most countries of the world.The online research was conducted in partnership with YouGov and polled 1,005 Russian adults aged 18+.

This pervasive misconception by Russian consumers is a likely contributor to the escalating piracy situation in the region, where the survey also found that over half of respondents (57%) said that they actively watch pirated content. In addition, nearly a quarter (22%) of those surveyed are watching pirated content at least once a week or more.

Despite being told that pirating video content results in studios losing money, which affects both the quality and amount of investment in new movies and TV shows, almost half (48%) of those surveyed said it would have no impact on their illegal video consumption. In fact, only 12% of consumers said it makes them want to stop watching pirated content completely, after discovering this fact. This highlights how many consumers do not fully appreciate the negative impact that piracy has on the creation of new, innovative entertainment.

“There is an immediate need for all of us in the media business to educate consumers on the legality and issues surrounding piracy, and how they put the entire entertainment ecosystem and themselves at risk,” said Natalya Romanova, Regional Director, Russia and CIS, Irdeto . “If the harmful implications of piracy are not fully realized, consumer attitudes and behavior will not change. Piracy impacts the ability of entertainment providers to invest in new TV shows or movies. This directly results in consumers having less choice of content to watch in the future. On a consumer level, when you are accessing content from a peer-to-peer site or streaming site, you are opening yourself up to malware and also funding the criminal networks that rely on online piracy as a large money generator in their portfolio.”

When it comes to the most popular pirated content, the survey found that 38% of consumers who watch pirated content prefer to pirate movies that are currently being shown in the cinema. In addition, 21% of consumers are most interested in pirating a TV series. In Russia, live sports, OTT original content from Netflix, Hulu and others are not as popular, with all three categories being preferred by fewer than 6% of respondents. In terms of methods used to watch or access pirated content, 75% of consumers who watch pirated content watch it on their laptop or computer most often rather than their tablet (5%) or smartphone (4% Android, 1% Apple iOS).

“Education is a vital part of every anti-piracy strategy, but, to prevent these numbers from growing, studios, operators and rights holders are also introducing more robust content protection strategies,” said Rory O’Connor, Vice President of Services, Irdeto . “Implementing a comprehensive, 360-degree anti-piracy strategy, with solutions like watermarking, forensics and online piracy detection, is essential in fighting the war against pirates.”

Methodology

The research was commissioned by Irdeto and conducted online amongst respondents who are mainly from urban areas, from January 13, 2017 – January 19, 2017 by YouGov. Total sample size was 1,005 Russian adults (aged 18+). The figures have been weighted and are representative of all Russian adults (aged 18+).