When we think of piracy, we often imagine people illegally downloading movies and shows as soon as they hit an OTT platform. But streaming companies also closely monitor piracy websites. It helps them figure out what people really want to watch. Netflix has been doing this smartly for years. When it launched in the Netherlands back in 2013, instead of guessing, Netflix checked which shows were being pirated the most. The top name was Prison Break. So Netflix bought the rights, added it to their library, and just like that, it clicked with the audience.
This wasn’t a one-time thing. Netflix regularly studied piracy data to shape its content library in every new country. And it worked wonders. In Canada, for example, after Netflix arrived, piracy through BitTorrent dropped by nearly 50%. People naturally preferred a legal, easy-to-use service over shady downloads. It showed that convenience beats piracy if you give people the right content without too much hassle.
However, things are changing again. With so many streaming platforms now, people are tired of paying for multiple subscriptions. This streaming fatigue is making piracy popular again. In fact, studies show piracy went up by 7% globally in 2023, especially for films and TV shows.
Even so, Netflix’s old playbook still teaches us something valuable, piracy data can actually guide platforms to serve viewers better. So while piracy does work against official streaming services it also helps them learn to cater better and more conveniently to its consumers.
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