Statistics in Australia shows that the piracy rate has declined for the first time in "quite some time", thanks largely to the introduction of legal streaming services such as Netflix.
Netflix launched in Australia in March, just shortly after local streaming opreators Stan and Presto also launched their subscription video-on-demand services. Since then, these streaming services has proved increasingly popular (with Netflix leading the way), and it appears that giving people what they want has led to a shift in piracy habits.
At least that's according to IP Awareness Foundation's executive director Lori Flekser, who also pointed out that the most "problematic" age group when it came to piracy, 18 to 24 year-olds, saw the biggest decline. It's the first time in "quite some time", according to Flekser, that any decline has been observed. While other age groups did not see the same kind of dramatic results, Flekser still considers this latest change to be a "game changer", one that will forever alter the way content is delivered to consumers.
Flekser says that the main problem with piracy is that there is the perception that illegal downloads offer an easier user experience than paying for content, which usually involves several steps, including creating an account, logging in and entering payment details. This process, Flekser says, is unavoidable and the reason why content providers are always going to have a hard time trying to beat piracy.
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