email print share on Facebook share on Twitter share on LinkedIn share on reddit pin on Pinterest

FAPAV-Ipsos investigation: 2 in every 5 Italians pirate films and TV series

by 

- The total damage to the economy has been estimated at €1.2 billion, with 6,500 jobs lost. “Resolutely working to raise awareness among the digital generation”

FAPAV-Ipsos investigation: 2 in every 5 Italians pirate films and TV series

FAPAV – the Italian Audiovisual and Multimedia Protection Federation – commissioned Ipsos to carry out a dedicated study which, for the first time, included a representative sample of people from a much lower age bracket, 10-14 years, to analyse the more adult segment of the population comprising those aged 15 and up.

The illegal consumption of content: digital piracy is on the rise

The most alarming statistic is that 39% of people illegally watched films, TV series or television and entertainment programmes at least once in 2016. Overall, it is estimated that over the course of the year, 669 million acts of piracy were committed.

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

Films are the type of content that is pirated most often and by the most people: by 33% of the adult population, with over 370 million acts of film piracy (over half of the total estimated number of acts). The number of people pirating TV series and TV programmes rose sharply: in 2010, these stood at 13% and 11% of the adult population respectively, whilst today the figures stand at 22% and 19%. 

Audiovisual piracy among the “under 15s”: 1 in 2 young people watch pirated content

While the study showed that 39% of the adult population commits acts of piracy, among young people the percentage is higher: 1 in every 2 young people aged between 10 and 14 years declared that in the last 12 months they have watched at least one film, TV series or TV programmes illegally. Film piracy is increasingly widespread: overall it involves 46% of the population aged between 10 and 14 years (vs. 28% for TV programmes and 25% for TV series). 

The profile of new digital pirates

The profile of those who commit illegal acts of piracy today is very clear: it is mainly men (55%), professionals (54%), in positions of management or independence more often than the Italian average, with a higher level of education on average (62% are graduates). Pirates are also younger than the Italian average, especially digital pirates, and seem “more connected and technological”.

The financial impact on the country

The combined impact of film and TV series piracy is estimated at approximately €128 million in lost revenue in 2016, resulting annual financial losses for the audiovisual industry of approximately €686 million. The repercussions on the Italian economy as a whole are many: an estimated €1.2 million in lost turnover for companies (not only those operating in the audiovisual industry), with a fall in GDP of approximately €427 million and 6,540 lost jobs.

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

Did you enjoy reading this article? Please subscribe to our newsletter to receive more stories like this directly in your inbox.

See also

Privacy Policy