Piracy in 2020: 130,000 million views to convert or monetize

2020 closed with 130,000 million visits to pirate sites, according to the report of the specialized piracy monitoring firm MUSO that they have analyzed on TorrentFreak. Faced with the widespread criminalization of much of the industry by regarding these users as a "threat", MUSO uses your data to help copyright holders market their content to this large untapped audience.

Most copyright lovers describe hacking as the activity of a group of thieves who must be hindered or stopped at any cost. However, these same people are also consumers. In fact, all the research repeatedly shows that they are the most passionate fans and that they also spend on all kinds of digital technologies. MUSO is aware of that potential and - continuing to pursue it - sees pirates as an opportunity.

Piracy in 2020

MUSO estimates at 130,000 million visits to websites considered 'pirates' produced last year. Most of them, 57%, went to streaming sites, followed by websites specialized in direct downloads (27%), torrent portals (12%), and stream-rippers with 4%. The share of streaming sites has decreased somewhat compared to 2019 in favor of download and torrent sites, although it is common for many of them to mix the content offering.

If we look at the geographic distribution, the United States remains the leading source of piracy traffic with almost 12.5 billion visits. Russia ranks second with 8.3 billion, followed by China and India with 6.9 billion and 5.6 billion respectively. Obviously, they are the most populated countries on the planet, but looking at visits by Internet users the list changes a lot, with countries like Barbados, Andorra, Georgia, and Ukraine at the top.

These data are interesting but, in isolation, the numbers do not say much. However, MUSO does more than count the totals. You can also profile your pirated audience in particular categories, including various demographic variables. This is where MUSO sets itself apart from many other companies operating in the 'anti-piracy' niche. In addition to sending DMCA takedown notices on behalf of customers, he also sees hackers as an opportunity. They are potential customers, after all, and there are many millions.

Convert pirates

"Piracy data in 2020 revealed a highly engaged audience of avid consumers and superfans willing to go through a sometimes challenging process to illegally stream or download a title, " they explain from MUSO. “ This is a valuable audience for entertainment companies; high intention customers who consume your content, even if they are not currently paying for it. 

The UK-based company emphasizes that it does not offer advertising services on its own or work with pirated sites, but uses the data it obtains from external sources to create profiles based on what interests the client.

The general message is that pirates should be seen as an opportunity, not a threat. And if big data can help turn more pirates into paying customers, the industry will win. Basically, the firm exposes "the commercial value of the users who consume piracy instead of dismissing that audience as useless. " A smart approach is clear, although the data handled by MUSO is only a subset of piracy in 2020.