According to the latest research from regulator Ofcom, under a fifth of internet users have accessed content online illegally, with only 18 per cent of television programmes being in breach of copyright laws.
The report, conducted by Kantar Media on behalf of Ofcom and funded by the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) found that infringement was a “minor activity” over the 12 months between May 2012 and May this year, although more than half of internet users downloaded or streamed at least one item of content over the same period.
In terms of volume, 22 per cent of all content consumed online during the year was infringing, which equates to over 1.5 billion files. Of the TV shows watched online, 18 per cent were done so illegally. However, the research found that only 2 per cent of people were responsible for 74 per cent of all piracy by volume.
People who accessed TV programmes illegally were divided into percentages according to the volume they accessed. Of the top 10 per cent, three quarters were aged 16 to 34 and were predominantly male.
The top 10 per cent were more likely to download a programme, rather than stream content, and, on average, each consumed around 100 digital TV programmes illegally.
The report also found that a high proportion of the top 10 per cent felt legal content is “too expensive” and were twice as likely to justify infringement because they had already paid to see content. The main reason given for piracy was because “it’s free” and “it’s quick”.
This cohort also claimed to have paid for an average of four programmes over a three-month period. Overall, the report found that, during an average three-month period, infringers spent more than non-infringers on content, spending £26 compared with £16.