Piracy falling in Spain, but economic impact still over €2 billion

A new study looking at the impact of audiovisual piracy in Spain reports a seven per cent drop during 2020.

According to the Consumption Habits of Digital Content 2020 report, a total of 5.239 billion pieces of illegal content were accessed during 2020, a cumulative decrease of 10 per cent since 2018 and around 24 per cent since 2015.

The impact of piracy on the Spanish economy last year is estimated at €2.416 billion. The report states that without piracy, the Spanish economy could have received €682 million during 2020.

The report, carried out by GfK, found that of the €2.416 billion of damage reported, film suffered estimated losses of €322 million, football €231 million, and TV series €138 million.

During 2020, a total of 71 million football matches were illegally viewed, at a value of €282 million, (causing €231 million of damage). The number of matches watched illegally decreased compared to 2019 said the report, when 87 million matches were viewed, but the number of consumers who access football through illegal portals remained the same.

Speaking about the impact of piracy on football, Emilio Fernández del Castillo, director of LaLiga Content Protection, said: “We have the equipment, the technology and the knowledge to deal with the scourge that is audiovisual piracy, behind which there are organisations that profit from the work of legitimate creators, but to win this game there is a lack of a legal tool that allows content to be blocked in a fast and agile way.” TVBEurope