We already knew that Australians have a unique thirst for illegal content – we consistently come out on top as the number one leechers for episodes of cult television—Game of Thrones this year, Breaking Bad before that—but some new figures on how exactly how parched we are for a torrent has come to light overnight, as more than twice the amount of Australians access illegal content than those in the UK, a survey has shown.
Proud of us?
According to Mumbrella, a survey of Australian and British consumers claims there are more than double the amount of Australians who pillage the torrent shop than there are in Britain, an “achievement” we’re not surprised to add to our now-growing repertoire as ruthless pirates, tbh.
43% of Australians surveyed in March and April this year admitted to illegally downloading content; 21% of Brits surveyed in the same period admitted to illegally downloading content.
The survey also attempted to discern not only how much Australians download illegal content, but why we’re so compelled to do so. Results showed that of those who admitted to downloading content illegally, more than half cited torrents’ [lack of a] price tag as the biggest motivator for downloading.
Interestingly, though, only 30% said their motivation to download was due to traditional media being “too expensive” to purchase. This affirms claims within the same study: while Australians are allured by torrenting being free, those who torrent regularly still buy legal media – and are the industry’s biggest customers. 35% of those who downloaded illegally said torrenting was a means to try media before committing to a purchase.
Only 7% of those who illegally download, according to the study, use torrents as their only way of accessing media: a user’s habit in downloading illegally, and legal buying in local stores aren’t mutually exclusive, the Government survey showed.
But according to Mumbrella, Free TV Australia slammed the new findings as a “significant issue for all publishers.”
While 48% of those surveyed in Australia had illegally accessed movies, and only 25% in the UK had done the same, the gap between Australia and Britain’s propensity to torrent narrows when it comes to downloading games: 22% of Australians illegally accessed video games, compared to 18% of Brits.
Australia’s supply may soon be cut off directly at the source, however, as the Government passed a law last month to ban torrenting websites such as Pirate Bay and Kickass in Australia.
Via Mumbrella.
