GONE are the days of illegally downloading torrents, with majority of piracy now coming from illicit streaming sites.
This is the finding of the Millennials at the Gate report released by Anatomy Media, which explored the piracy habits of Gen Y.

The report found that 69 per cent of participants admitted to using one form of video piracy. Illegal streaming sites were listed as the main source of piracy (42 per cent), while the use of emergent mobile apps closely followed (41 per cent). Surprisingly, the downloading of illegal torrents was the least popular method of obtaining illicit content (17 per cent).

The shift of using streaming over the downloading of illegal torrents was reflected when participants were asked about the legalities of piracy. Only 33 per cent of those involved in the study viewed downloading and streaming as illegal, while 24 per cent thought both were legal. The remaining 43 per cent held the belief that downloading was illegal, yet streaming was aboveboard.

“Their perceptions, we suspect, are in part a function of their user experience. Illegal streaming and downloading sites have evolved. They now look like legitimate services and are particularly deceptive for users,” the report read.

“They are professionally produced, well designed websites with network logos and content prominently displayed. There is nothing to distinguish a pirate site from a legitimate content aggregator or to signal to the user that they are participating in something illegal.”

In terms of what attracts pirates to one service over another, participants said content accessibility and buffering were the biggest two issues. Another interesting take from the report was 61 per cent of young people admitted sharing passwords for legitimate streaming accounts. “Only 18 per cent of millennials believe it is wrong to share passwords.

Regardless of the law or the various terms of service that limit password usage, sharing streaming passwords with friends and family is a common behaviour,” the report read.