25% of young Europeans stream illegally

A quarter of EU citizens aged between 15 and 24 have admitted to intentionally using illegal sources to access online content in the past 12 months.

Most say they do this because it is free, or cheaper than accessing content from legal sources, according to a new report from the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), which surveyed young people in each of the 28 EU Member States, seeking better to understand how young EU citizens behave online, and to explore the main drivers and barriers for them in acquiring online content and physical goods both legally and illegally.

Films and series were the most accessed types of content from illegal sources, followed by music and games.

Nearly one in four believed that they were doing nothing wrong in accessing digital content from illegal sources for personal use, and a third considered that content from illegal sources was easier to find and quicker to access than content from legal sources.

Six out of ten young Europeans say they would stop using illegal sources to access digital content if more affordable content from legal sources was available.

The report also shows a sharp difference in attitudes among young people between illegally accessing digital content and buying counterfeit goods online.

Only 12 per cent of those questioned said they have intentionally bought counterfeit products online in the past 12 months, mostly counterfeit clothes, accessories and footwear, with over half saying they did so because it was cheaper than buying the real thing. …

… read on at advanced-television.com

Originally posted by Colin Mann at Advanced Television
6th April 2016