Users fess up to illegally copied video

A recent study has found that 8 per cent of consumers have admittedly watched an illegally downloaded video file.
The study, conducted by research firm Futuresource Consulting, surveyed consumers in the US, UK, France and Germany.
The researchers found that viewers were still largely unwilling to pay additional costs for video online, driving users to other offerings such as ad-supported services or illegal downloads.
"There is a huge appetite out there for free on-demand TV, but levels of paid-for activity are still low," noted FutureSource head of global content Alison Casey.
"In many cases, the propagation of new business models is key to the industry, with site location, navigation and unsuitable meta tagging still causing major problems for consumers; in many cases, the people we surveyed said they would watch more online content if the user interface and search facilities were improved.".
The interest in on-demand television packages was especially high in the UK. Researchers credited the success of the BBC iPlayer in noting that as many as 80 per cent of pay TV subscribers were taking advantage of additional online content from their service providers.
Users in the UK were also found to be the largest consumers of online video, with some two-thirds of users admitted to having viewed a movie or television programme online.
Researchers suggested that ad-supported models could be the way for content providers to go in the future. While few users are willing to pay for television or movie content, 99 per cent said that they would watch ad-supported online content.
"The next five years will be a period of major transition for the entertainment industry and there will be a significant shift in who receives a share of the profits, with a raft of digital platforms and the rise of on-demand content vying for rights and advertising revenues," said Casey.
"The national boundaries which used to govern broadcasting are now being challenged by the global nature of the internet, as was the case with e-commerce fifteen years ago."