Forensic watermarking could cut video piracy by half - study

The implementation of anti-piracy measures could cut the billions lost to online video piracy worldwide could be cut by half, according to research by Edgeware and YouGov. The study shows that half (50%) of viewers who watch pirated content would be dissuaded from doing this if they new a video they were watching could be tracked back to its source using forensic watermarking.

The research questioned more than 4,000 people worldwide, with 39 percent admitting they are likely to watch pirated film or TV content. More than one fifth (21%) said they would watch live events, such as sports, from illegal online sources. Other findings of the report shows that 29 percent of viewers watch pirated content at least once a month; with availability (32%) and cost (24%) cited as the main reasons for watching pirated content.

Online TV and film piracy is forecast to cost the industry USD 52 billion per year in lost revenue by 2022, with the US suffering the greatest loss at USD 11.6 billion per year. This does not include losses from live sports, where rights are worth USD 43 billion a year.