Internet pirates, it seems, have no interest in subscription fees.
Despite the fact that the vast majority of 2021’s major films and television series made their debut on streaming services, there were 79 billion visits to piracy websites between January and September of last year, according to Akamai. Television programs were the most frequently stolen media, followed by movies.
“Based on the data, we can see that an overwhelming majority of consumers (61.5%) are directly accessing pirated materials,” said Akamai in the report. “For some people, since the content isn’t physical, downloading a copy or re-streaming an event isn’t perceived as theft. … People with this mindset forget that events, or content, can take millions of dollars to produce, and the livelihoods of hundreds of people (who often earn median wages) are directly impacted by piracy.”
The report only collected data through September, so the piracy impact on late-year releases such as “Hawkeye,” “the Matrix Resurrection” and “The Book of Boba Fett” could not be determined. But here’s a look at the most pirated films and shows of the first three quarters:
Most pirated movies
- Godzilla vs. Kong
- Zack Snyder’s Justice League
- Black Widow
- F9
- Mortal Kombat (2021)
- The Suicide Squad (2021)
- Cruella
- Wonder Woman 1984
- Raya and the Last Dragon
- Jungle Cruise
Most pirated TV shows
- Loki, Season 1
- WandaVision, Season 1
- Rick and Morty, Season 5
- The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Season 1
- The Walking Dead, Season 10
- Game of Thrones, Season 8
- The Flash, Season 7
- Vikings, Season 6
- True Beauty, Season 1
- Superman & Lois, Season 1
Virtually all of the films and shows were available on streaming services, many at the time of release.
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