A UK study found that illegal streaming exposes users to scams, identity theft, malware and potentially organised crime; 37% of active users surveyed had encountered harmful or unsafe content. Researchers estimate fraud and theft cost UK viewers about £270 million annually.
A WPI Economics study found that 31% of UK adults accessed illegal streams in the previous three months, rising to 51% among 18–24-year-olds. Films and TV are more commonly pirated than live sports, and social media is the most common access route.
Omdia's study emphasizes the need for a shift from reactive to preventive anti-piracy measures in the streaming era, highlighting the limitations of traditional methods and advocating for multi-DRM, forensic watermarking, and application security to enhance content protection.
The Omdia study Next-Generation Anti-Piracy for TV and Video: Why the streaming era demands a shift from reaction to prevention therefore warns that piracy can no longer be viewed solely as a technical or legal issue.
Despite the increase in legal streaming services, piracy remains prevalent, with over 21% of online adults using unauthorized sources, particularly among engaged viewers like sports fans. The study highlights that convenience and ease of access are significant factors driving this trend.
Illegal streaming is costing the UK economy at least £1.35 billion a year and is linked to the loss of more than 10,000 jobs, according to a report commissioned by anti-piracy initiative BeStreamWise. The Price of Piracy, produced by WPI Economics, estimates that piracy across sport, film and television results in 10,400 fewer jobs across the economy. […]
Nearly 1.2 million households across the Nordic region now have access to illegal IPTV services, spending an estimated €280 million a year, according to new research from Mediavision. The figure equates to more than €23 million per month, or approximately €760,000 per day. Households using the services report paying an average of around €20 per month. […]
There were 6.2 billion illegal streams of 90 seconds or more globally for the Spain vs Argentina Final match according to GCI. While the FIFA World Cup 2026 broke viewing records in the U.S. on linear TV and on streaming platforms, new data from Gaming Compliance International (GCI) suggests that an enormous amount of illegal […]
Ahead of next month’s Super Bowl LX, which NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming service hopes will be its largest-ever live viewership (along with the Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy), there is growing concern about the rise in streaming sites offering illegal access to live sports. A 2025 study found that 69% of sports fans in the United […]
A new report by Enders Analysis has said industrial theft of live sports broadcasts is providing a direct threat to profitability for broadcasters and streamers. ‘Video piracy: Big tech is clearly unwilling to address the problem’ concludes that DRM systems provided by Microsoft and Google for 20 years are now in steep decline. “Big tech is […]
Czech users of news content do not trust artificial intelligence in news. They fear it makes it impossible to distinguish fiction from reality, according to a new study by ResSolution Group and Nielsen.
According to EUIPO data, millions of EU citizens access or stream sports content from illegal online sources while fake sports equipment cost manufacturers €850 million per year.
