Almost two in three Ukrainians (59%) are unwilling to pay for legal content on the internet, according to Kateryna Fedorova, head of Clear Sky Initiative.
Furthermore, over a quarter (27%) say will not do so because they may find it for free.
Speaking at the International Content Protection Summit 2018 in Warsaw, she added that on the other hand only 14% of Ukrainian are ready to pay for legal content and only 6-7% are doing so.
The Clear Skies Initiative was formed by Ukraine’s four leading media companies – 1+1 Media, StarLightMedia, Media Group Ukraine and Inter Media Group – in 2013 and focuses on B2B counterparts and the “follow the money” approach. It applies to advertisers, ISPs and pay-TV providers.
Fedorova said its strategy includes depriving pirates of their audience. This includes permanently monitoring the top 50 Google search results; appealing to video services to block the illegal placement of content; and addressing social networks as well as pirate source groups, again to block the illegal placement of content.
Meanwhile, the follow the money approach involves the blocking of pirates’ cash flow. It has already seen 19 of 28 appeals to Visa and MasterCard being fulfilled.
Educating the audience and consumers also plays an important part of Clear Sky Initiative’s work.
