A survey has shown that Australians are consuming more online content since 2015, streaming more and downloading less, according to the Australian Government Department of Communication and Arts. The survey also revealed that there has been an increase in the consumption of lawful content across music, movies, video games and TV programmes collectively.
The Consumer survey on online copyright infringement 2018 surveyed 2453 consumers aged 12+ and found that Australians are willing to pay more for their content, with the average quarterly spend on digital purchases and subscriptions on the rise.
Consistent with results from previous years, the 2018 results show quality, convenience and price are the key differentiating factors which motivate consumers to use paid services rather than consume unlawful content. Yet despite this the volume of illegally consumed content increased across all four types surveyed. Many of the respondents said that they will never stop illegally downloading no matter what and nearly half (49%) of the surveyed consumers said that they had downloaded illegal content at some time.
Fewer Britons are illegally downloading music
‘When considering the data as a whole, the increasing trend continues for consumers to pay for some of their digital content while the consumption of 100% free content continues to decline,’ the report stated.
‘This trend is probably driven by paid streaming services such as Netflix and Stan which have been shown to experience dramatic popularity over the past few years and negates the need for consumers to source the content using other means.’
When asked what would make them stop illegally downloading, 26% of infringers said they would cease if legal services were cheaper. Another 23% claimed they were unsure what was legal and what wasn’t and 6% said they would never stop. Of the respondents to the survey who use paid content services, 34% said it was because they don’t want to use sites providing illegal content. Speed and convenience were given as a reason by 4% of respondents, and 36% said paid services provided better quality.
The online copyright infringement survey was first conducted in 2015 and in 2018 was conducted by Indigenous Professional Services (IPS). It seeks to understand Australian consumption trends across music, movies, video games and TV programmes, and the attitudes that drive copyright infringement behaviour for this content.
For those interested the full report can be found here.
