Film industry 'out of ideas' to beat piracy

New Zealand - Movie distributors say site blocking is the only option left to beat piracy.

New Zealand's box office takings dropped from $206 million in 2016, to just $190 million last year.

Managing Director of the NZ Motion Picture Distributors Association, Matthew Cheetham says piracy has been gradually draining film incomes.

He told Mike Hosking the case of Pirate Bay in Sweden shows legal action isn't enough to discourage people.

"The operators in Sweden were found criminally and civilly liable of copyright infirngement. Some were given prison, they were all giving fines and yet The Pirate Bay remains one of the most popular sites in the world, including in New Zealand.

"We call them sites, but they're not really sighted anywhere."