Torrents are becoming less popular in Poland, with pirates increasingly preferring to download films and series from streaming services.
However, according to MEC VideoTrack ll, a study produced by the MEC agency, for most internet users the legality of content they access remains unimportant.
The study found that 24% of users opted for torrents and hosting services this year, down from 27% in 2015. At he same time, there was a slight increase in video and pirated VOD, denoting a move among pirates from torrents to streaming services.
Viewers favouring torrents are predominantly young, male and the most active internet video users. Besides not wishing to pay for content, they try to avoid commercials.
Yet paradoxically, 31% pay for films and series on the internet, compared to 25% of general users. Indeed, one in five pay at least PLN20 (€4.65) a month. Moreover, around 6% of torrent users say they watch Netflix.
The fall in popularity of torrents in Poland is linked to a fall, from 16% in 2015 to 14% this year, starting their searches for content on torrents.
Significantly, as of last year only just over 40% of internet users said they cared about the legality of the content they were accessing. Legality was more important to women and older users.
