27% of French online users admit to consuming content illegally – study

The proportion of French online users streaming or downloading digital content illegally has risen for a third consecutive year to reach 27 percent in 2017, according to a survey commissioned by anti-piracy authority Hadopi. When including legal and illegal ways, overall consumption is also trending upwards, with 78 percent of French online users accessing a wide range of digital content (such as music, movies and books and video games).

The research, based on a representative sample of users aged 15+, found that the 'TV series' category has risen to the top among the content accessed illegally (44% in 2017 from 34% in 2016), overtaking the 'Video/movies' category (40% in 2017 from 39% in 2016). The survey also found that VoD and SVoD services are becoming more popular, with the proportion of respondents subscribing to this type of offering rising to 9 percent.

The publication of this survey coincides with the news that Hadopi has been granted a budget of EUR 9 million by the French government for 2018.