Streaming was supposed to kill off online piracy. Instead, the problem is skyrocketing (2024)

Streaming services like Netflix have been credited for reducing rates of online piracy, by improving access to large libraries of movies and TV shows, but a cost of living crunch, combined with password sharing crackdowns, rising prices and the re-introduction of ads have combined to contribute to a new surge in copyright infringement.

In 2021, 30 per cent of Australians infringed copyright through the way they consumed content online, according to federal government data. By 2023, the most recent year data is available for, that figure increased to 41 per cent.

Australians pirate a range of content, including movies, TV shows, video games, music and sports broadcasts. Chair of Creative Content Australia Chris Chard says cost of living pressures are causing more people to justify downloading content on torrents or watching illegal streams.

Alongside increases in rent, food prices and energy bills, streaming services are also getting more expensive. Netflix’s standard subscription has increased by $10 over nine years, now costing $18.99 per month. Other services have introduced slightly smaller hikes, including Binge, Stan* and Disney+. Netflix and Amazon Prime Video have also introduced ads to their basic plans, encouraging ad-haters to pay an extra fee for uninterrupted viewing.

“These platforms have also become much stricter about password sharing,” says Catherine Bond, a UNSW associate professor in copyright history. “If you’re not living at the main address, your access will be cut off. With cost of living increasing, you may not want to pick up another subscription for the last few episodes of a TV show.”

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Lemar, who didn’t want to provide his last name as he was discussing breaking the law, said he unlawfully downloaded movies and TV shows once a week on top of paying for Netflix and Disney+. “The combined price of having a subscription to all the platforms needed to see everything I want to watch is the main reason I torrent content.”

Recently, Lemar pirated The Fall Guy and Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, both big-budget films, that haven’t hit streaming platforms yet. He notes the cost of cinema tickets, which has risen on average by 24 per cent over the past 10 years (in 2023, it was $16.96). “If they had more cinema deals during the weekend instead of weekdays, I think torrenting would reduce.”

It may not just be a matter of cost, however. According to Chard, those who are in a higher income bracket are more likely to consume online content unlawfully. Hollywood star Sydney Sweeney recently shared a photo to social media of her seemingly watching an illegal stream of Law & Order.

For Maya, who also spoke on the condition of partial anonymity, it’s a matter of convenience over cost. “Streaming [services] are great for browsing, but if you know what you want to watch, it’s easier to just quickly download it. Who has time to search for The Bear on every platform before you find it?”

In 2015, Netflix, Foxtel and Stan were the only services in Australia, with their libraries boasting an array of hugely popular titles. Now, however, there’s Binge, BritBox, Amazon Prime, Apple TV+, Disney+, and Paramount+, all of which have secured their own specific niche. This fragmentation has triggered fatigue among some consumers, Bond says.

“We’re seeing more casual pirates who may have been able to satisfy their entertainment needs with a few subscriptions over the last few years, but now the market is really diluted. So, they turn back to online websites to access content they want to watch but which doesn’t necessarily justify another subscription.”

It may also simply come down to habit. According to a 2022 study by Creative Content Australia, about 42 per cent of Australians began pirating content over the COVID-19 lockdowns, when cinemas were shuttered, and have continued to do so.

The steady rise of online piracy in Australia mimics trends seen overseas, including the US where usage of pirate sites has soared since 2020 to over 140 billion visits, up from about 105 billion before the pandemic.

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Many of those who pirate content likely consider it a “victimless crime”, says Palace Cinemas chief executive Benjamin Zeccola. “These individuals often see themselves as upstanding citizens. Yet, paradoxically, they sustain offshore criminal enterprises that undercut local jobs and economic stability.”

Executive director of the Cinema Association Australasia Cameron Mitchell echoes this, noting that as long as illegal content remains accessible online, online piracy will persist. “Research confirms that some subscribers to legal platforms believe their legal subscriptions entitle them to access all content, including illegal content, which is obviously not the case.”

Notably, the steady rise in online piracy hasn’t coincided with a drop in legal streaming subscriptions. According to a Netflix spokesperson, the platform’s subscriptions have grown year-on-year, with the number of its ad-supported plan’s global monthly active users increasing from 5 million to 40 million within a year. Disney+ and Binge/Foxtel were contacted for comment.

“An increase in piracy is worrying, but it doesn’t mean it’s out of control,” Chard says. “We need more support from the government. Other markets like the UK are making it a specific focus for the police, having a dedicated intellectual property crime unit to deal with this kind of IP crime. That would be a huge step in the right direction. We just need to make sure we don’t lose the battle.”

*Stan is owned by Nine, which also owns this masthead.

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