The options for watching films and series are now vaster than ever but this wider choice comes at a cost.
In this fragmented market you need more and more subscriptions to watch the same shows you used to find in one place. Streaming services include Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Mubi, Apple TV, Paramount+, Hulu, HBO Max and NBC’s Peacock. Piracy has become a simpler and cheaper alternative for everyone. According to London‑based piracy analytics firm MUSO, unlicensed streaming is the predominant source of TV and film piracy, accounting for 96% in 2023.
Clearly if/when piracy increases and the number of paying customers for streaming sites falls, this has a serious knock-on effect on jobs and local economies.
But the companies have only themselves to blame. Greed is not good.
Most platforms now offer plans that, despite the fee, force advertisements on subscribers. As Gabriel V Rindborg wrote in his article ‘Can’t Pay, Won’t Pay’: “Studios carve out fiefdoms, build walls and levy tolls for those who wish to visit. The result is artificial scarcity in a digital world that promised abundance.”
Corporate business models may crumble but I for one won’t be shedding any tears. To paraphrase Patti Smith : Pirates have the power to wrestle the world from fools.
