Piracy is undoubtedly a big problem in Central and Eastern Europe.
Take the case of Poland, where it has just been reported that the country’s economy was hit by losses amounting to over PLN3 billion (€706.3 million) in 2016 due to internet piracy. According to a study undertaken by Deloitte, the Treasury incurred almost a third (PLN836 million) of the total.
Just as worryingly, the study said that every second user aged 15-75 accessed illegal content on the internet and revenues from pirated content, including online films and series, amounted to PLN745 million.
And last but not least, it was predicted that if no legislative changes are made the value of content consumed illegally on the internet between 2017-2024 could amount to PLN30.4 billion.
Broadband TV News tries to monitor efforts to address the problem of piracy in Central and Eastern Europe. Unfortunately, they only seem to be scratching the surface and much more will probably have to be done to bring it under control.
Russia should be praised for acknowledging the extent of the piracy and the legislative measures it has taken do date to address it. Leading pay-TV operators such as Tricolor TV and Orion are working proactively, in the former case by blocking internet sites and taking legal action against pirates and in the latter by using complementary encryption systems.
However, the country is still falling far short in its awareness of piracy. In an online poll undertaken by Irdeto in partnership with YouGov, it was found that the overwhelming majority (87%) of Russian consumers still do not know that producing or sharing pirated content is illegal.
Moreover, over half (57%) actively watched pirated content and nearly a quarter (22%) did so at least once a week.
Elsewhere in the region, it has been estimated that up to one in five homes in Lithuania watches illegal TV content. There have also been some well-publicised efforts in Ukraine to address the problem by shutting down a number of pirate sites, but again this is just the tip of the iceberg.
We can expect to hear about more developments in the second half of this year. It can only be hoped that they have at least some effect in reducing the problem.
