PwC Study: Pricing, Release Windows Key Factors in Piracy Battle

NEW YORK: A new PwC report reveals that consumers who admit to pirating content are willing to pay for programming if they can access it closer to the original release date, but don’t want to spend more than $3 to download a movie or more than $1 for a TV episode.

The Speed of Life: Discovering Behaviors and Attitudes Related to Pirating Content found that pricing and consumers’ desire for earlier access are key factors in the battle against piracy—which shows no signs of easing. PwC reports that 81 percent of consumers who admit to pirating TV, movie and video content say they will likely continue to do so, even though they had concerns about computer viruses, poor quality of content and legal repercussions. Indeed, not paying has become mainstream, with more than half of online pirates indicating they do it because "everyone does it." However, 76 percent said they are somewhat willing to shell out money for content, so long as prices are kept low. Plus, 83 percent of respondents said they want movies available online within one month or less of the theatrical release.

Of new concern to content owners is mobile piracy; 40 percent of those who pirate content on other devices will probably do so on their phones within the next six months.