Government urged to stamp out piracy as 17 million Britons stream Premier League matches and movies for free
One in three adults in the UK admitted to streaming copyrighted content for free in the last three months, according to data collated by cross-industry coalition BeStreamWise PRESS OFFICE | GB NEWS. A damning new report, dubbed The Price of Piracy, has laid bare the scale of the problem - almost one in three (31%) UK adults admit to streaming content illegally within the last three months - and the true cost to Britain, estimated at a £1.35 billion loss to the UK economy every single year.
The report was commissionedby BeStreamWise, a cross-industry anti-piracy campaign designed to raise awareness of the risks of illegal streaming, from cybercrime and fraud to identity theft. It's a heavyweight coalition that includes Sky, BBC, ITV, the Premier League, FACT, Crimestoppers, the Intellectual Property Office, DAZN and Universal, uniting entertainment, sport, and law enforcement.
First off, BeStreamWise has laid bare the sheer scale of the damage caused by illicit streaming. It estimates that £1.35 billion is wiped from the UK economy every year due to the millions who avoid paying to watch copyrighted material.
That lost revenue means 10,400 fewer jobs across the economy, analysis from WPI Economics for BeStreamWise estimates. The Exchequer misses out on £366 million in tax revenue each year due to piracy.
How police work out if YOU are one of millions of Britons watching TV and movies on a dodgy Fire TV Stick That's enough money to pay the salaries of 9,400 qualified NHS nurses, cover 140 million free school meals, or fund 43 million hours of childcare for hard-working Britons. It's a massive hit to public finances that affects everyone, whether you stream illegally or not.
If you're one of the 17 million UK adults who have watched content illegally in the last three months, you might not realise the scale of the damage caused whenever you stream a Premier League match via a link on social media, or watch a film on a dodgy Fire TV Stick. It's not just the impact on HMRC to consider.
Pirate streaming services can serve up pornographic content alongside family favourites, with no parental controls. Worse, malware and viruses can infect your device, potentially giving criminals access to your wider home network.
If you enter your bank or credit card details, you could also hand fraudsters the keys to your finances. BeStreamWise research found 65% of illegal streamers had experienced security scares, including malware or scam pop-ups, while 39% had suffered financial losses linked to cybercrime.
The research reveals that 57% of illegal devices and streaming apps contain malware designed to steal your banking details and personal information. In total, illegal streamers lose £270 million every year to fraud and identity theft.