Networks taking on download thieves

Australia's insatiable appetite for up-to-the-minute TV viewing from the United States and Britain is costing networks hundreds of millions of dollars due to an explosion in online piracy, reports The Sydney Morning Herald.

Per capita, we have become the most prolific downloaders of television contraband from the internet, a new report by the Australian Institute of Criminology found.

The incidence of Australian piracy has trebled in eight years. Only British households watch more pirated programs.

The report, Intellectual Property Crime And Enforcement In Australia, noted the industry now loses about $45 million annually due to illegally copied content. But this rises to nearly $200 million when tax losses and secondary revenues such as advertising are factored in.

Faster, cheaper broadband connections and new software making downloading easier are behind the boom, the researchers found.

But it has also been driven by an impatient demand for must-see US and British shows, which has prompted Seven, Nine and Ten to fast-track episodes of popular programs.

As a result of illegal downloading , numerous hit programs - including The Mentalist, Californication, Supernatural, NCIS, House, The Amazing Race and Heroes - are now aired within days of their release overseas.

Related:

-- Australian Government To Take Legal Action Versus Illegal 'Downloaders'

-- Australia. Net video, digital TV grow

-- An epidemic in illegal downloading

emily | 6:03 PM | Copypright Issues |
The Permanent Link to this page is: http://www.textually.org/tv/archives/2008/10/021502.htm

Tweet