Web video sites rising in popularity, says Irdeto

Web video sites have been rising in popularity, but peer-to-peer (P2P) piracy platforms remain an “important platform”, according to a report from Irdeto.
The report showed that 28 percent of the high quality content offered on the web is sourced from peer-to-peer (P2P) sites.

While “casual” pirates are driving growth of web video sites, committed pirates “retain their preference for P2P sites”, according to the report.

This relationship between P2P and web video sites is solidified by the P2P network, which is fundamental in the distribution of infringing content by providing a majority of the popular video content to piracy sites.

“Committed pirates” understand the risk associated with illegal streaming sites, and actively reject legal sites in favour of pirated material.

The overall growth of “piracy culture” can also be credited to advancements in the online ecosystem, such as an increase in bandwidth and viewing platforms.

It is also important to note that the increase in the popularity of web video sites has not caused a significant decline in P2P sites, which remain the primary platform for obtaining pirated material. P2P sites remain sufficiently popular in specific countries, including Russia, the Netherlands and Brazil.

This trend is particularly relevant in the US, which saw traffic increase by 57 percent to web video sites in 2017.

However, in the UK, implementation of an “extensive site blocking program” since May 2012 has contributed to a reduced use of P2P sites. In September 2017, under 20 percent of total visits to pirates sites came from P2P sites, compared to over 30 percent in the US.