The Online Copyright Infringement Tracker (OCI) has provided data on piracy carried out online for more than a decade. After publication of Wave 12 in 2022, there was no report covering 2023.
The latest Wave 13 edition covers online infringement in 2024, spanning various categories including movies, music, TV shows, and live sports. The online survey component was conducted among a representative 5,000 person sample of the UK population aged 12 and above.
OCI Wave 13 (2024)
The headline figure reveals a small decrease in the overall piracy rate, from 32% in 2022 to 29% in 2024. This figure represents the proportion of the total sample who had accessed any online content illegally during the previous three months. While any improvement will be welcomed by rightsholders, the authors of the report say the figure should be interpreted with caution due to the addition of new content categories and methods of access.
The software category showed the most progress, with the infringement rate falling from 38% in 2022 to 31% in 2024. Audiobook piracy developed in the opposite direction, increasing from 22% in 2022 to 30% last year.
In most of the other categories, infringement rates are close to those reported two years ago. Live sports, software, digital magazines, and audiobooks show above average piracy rates, and music, TV, video games, and ebooks, all show rates below average.
↑ Music Piracy Infringement Rate ↑
Music infringement rates increased marginally from 25% in 2022 to 26% in 2024. The figure relates to those who used a mix of legal and illegal sources in the preceding three months.
This means that for the last two waves, the overall piracy rate for music has stayed above the 24% rate reported in 2015, which preceded several year-on-year reductions. (red line denotes change in methodology)
In 2019 and 2020, the number of listeners consuming exclusively from legal sources showed slight increases, with those consuming exclusively from illegal sources remaining fairly static. Since then, legal-only consumers have fallen, with the percentage of respondents consuming from illegal sources increasing compared to previous years (47% vs. 45%).
In 2024, 53% of respondents said they only accessed music legally, with less than half (19%) relying exclusively on piracy.
Downloading was the dominant method used to access pirated music in 2024, with just 2% of respondents streaming using a mix of legal and illegal sources. No respondents reported streaming illegally. Overall, it’s estimated that around eight million people pirate at least some music in the UK
↑ Movie Piracy Infringement Rate ↑
In 2024, the overall infringement rate for movies continued on an upwards trend, from 24% in 2022 to 27% in 2024.
This three percentage point increase means a return to the highest overall movie piracy infringement rate recorded back in 2019. That high of 27% was due to an eight point shock increase over the rate reported in 2018 (19%), which in turn was the lowest rate recorded since 2015.
Wave 13 data (2024) shows 73% of respondents downloading movies exclusively from legal sources, with 17% utilizing both legal and illegal. One in ten (10%) respondents pirated everything they consumed.
Infringement via streaming sources was relatively low, with 17% mixing legal/illegal and just 4% obtaining everything from illegal sources. In Wave 12 (2022), 83% of respondents said they relied solely on legal sources to stream movies, a figure that dropped four points to 79% in Wave 13 (2024).
→ TV Piracy Infringement Rate ←
In 2024, the overall infringement rate for TV shows was 19%, unchanged from the previous wave in 2022.
While significantly higher than the 14% recorded in both 2020 and 2021, today’s overall piracy rate for TV content remains lower than the 21% recorded nine years ago.
The data on consumption sources shows 80% of respondents downloading exclusively from legal sources in 2024.
This represents a marginal improvement over figures reported in 2022, which had deteriorated following an all-time high in 2021. Those who downloaded all TV content illegally sat at 8% in 2024, with 11% downloading from a mix of legal/illegal sources.
The study found little change in the rate of TV show infringement purely via streaming, with 13% using a mix and just 2% using illegal sources exclusively.
↑ Live Sport Piracy Infringement Rate ↑
In 2024, the overall infringement rate for live sports was 38%, an increase of two points over the previous wave in 2022.
Live sports consumption appeared in its own category in the OCI tracker for the first time in 2019 and, apart from a Covid-related dip in 2021, has shown consistently high rates of infringement.
The latest figure of 38% in Wave 13 has the dubious honor of being the highest rate recorded since 2019. While this isn’t considered a significant increase in the study, data on the sources used to watch live sports may be a cause for concern.
Data from 2024 shows a decrease in legal-only live sports consumption (62% of respondents in 2024) and a similar one point decrease in exclusively illegal consumption to 14% (15% in 2022). The study provides additional context:
• Exclusive use of illegal sources highest among those aged 16-24 (28%)
• Exclusive use of illegal sources in other age groups (8% to 20%)
• Those with a high passion for live sport are most likely to infringe (44%)
While use of paid subscriptions to music streaming services increased by 3% (57% of respondents), paid subscriptions to sports streaming platforms fell by 8% in 2024 (51% of respondents). Meanwhile, paid subscriptions to pirate IPTV providers to access live sports were up 4% and used by 12% of respondents.
“In the qualitative phase, some participants mentioned having to abandon subscriptions to live sports, due to managing this cost alongside other increasing costs,” the study’s authors reveal.
“Participants suggested that, in the future, they would need to further decrease their consumption of live sports subscriptions and settle for free broadcasts on terrestrial TV.”
Headline Figures & Key Drivers of Infringement
The study found that music is pirated by more people than any other media, 9.9 million in total. An estimated 8.9 million people pirate movies, with 6.2 million getting their TV fix from pirate sites.
Live sports piracy is yet to topple the three main categories, but with 3.9 million people getting at least some events for free, the numbers are significant.
No real surprises or big changes in the dominant categories, but there’s potential for live sports to continue on an upward trend, and with an eight-point increase, audiobooks seem like a category to watch.
The study suggests that the rising costs of living, which include increased prices for music, TV/film, and video games subscriptions, all contribute to infringement levels.
The perception of unfair or high pricing for legal services, especially when multiple subscriptions are required, is cited as a main driver for illegal content access, with saving money the key benefit.
The Online Copyright Infringement Tracker Survey (13th Wave) is available here (ODT)
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