Video Piracy More Common During COVID Lockdowns, Study Reveals

A quarter of video pirates consume illegal content daily

It’s been well reported that COVID-19 restrictions have boosted streaming habits for most consumers, but lockdowns have also impacted those who watch pirated content, according to a new survey from OpSec Security.

OpSec found that 29% of video pirates increased the frequency in which they illegally downloaded content if they were under lockdown restrictions. A quarter admitted to consuming pirated content daily; 22% said they did it several times a week, while 19% did so on a weekly basis.

As for what they are downloading, movies are the post popular (49%), followed by music (45%), TV shows (36%) and video games (34%).

The scope of video piracy goes beyond just its common practitioners. OpSec Security found that 24% of consumers confess to accessing pirated content.