Piracy Persists Because Otaku Are Poor, They Say

An online survey revealed that one of the main motivations for users to watch anime content illegally, or so-called "piracy," is that subscription services are too expensive. According to an online survey of 988 U.S. adults conducted by the news site CordCutting, one-third of respondents said they had watched or downloaded pirated content in the past year.

When asked why they were accessing pirated content, the most common reason was that they were only interested in certain shows or movies and didn't see the value in subscription services. The second most common reason was that subscription services were too expensive, with 35% of respondents choosing this option.

• I was only interested in a specific show or movie, so it wasn't worth paying for a subscription – 36%
• Streaming services are very expensive – 35%
• The content was not available through official channels in my region – 31%
• Wanted to avoid seeing ads – 17%
• I wanted to see the content as soon as it was released, without waiting – 17%

The generation with the highest rate of access to pirated content was 'Generation Z', those born after 1997. When asked if they were accessing more pirated content compared to the previous year, 54% said it was the same, 11% said it was more, and 35% said it was less.

Many cited 'streaming services' as the reason, but it's possible that these people were accessing pirated content before streaming services became widely available. According to copyright news site TorrentFreak, a similar survey conducted in 2017 showed that while most people are willing to pay for streaming subscriptions, many also access pirated content as a side effect.

A survey conducted in the U.K. found that a majority of consumers felt subscription services were too expensive, with half saying that pirating content was a valid alternative.

CordCutting said: "Respondents suggested that piracy could be reduced by making content cheaper, raising awareness of the harms of piracy, and improving the usability of subscription services. Streaming services could attract more users by offering a rental model like Amazon Prime Video."

This survey raises important questions about access to anime content and its impact on the industry. Piracy remains a significant challenge for anime creators and distributors, and it is crucial to find effective ways to address consumer concerns while protecting intellectual property rights and supporting the anime industry.

Source: TorrentFreak