Online video piracy: Ways the industry could address the growing problem

[Ethan]

Online video piracy, once thought on the wane thanks to inexpensive SVOD services like Hulu and Netflix, is showing that it's still a resilient foe, according to recent findings. To combat illegal downloads and streaming, industry players may need to toss out old solutions and adopt tactics that seem, on the surface, a little crazy.

It's the problem that won't go away: Illegal content proliferates across the Web, with files available for download through torrent sites or searchable--and streamable--on major sites including YouTube, despite its efforts to clamp down on the problem. Indeed, video piracy itself has morphed away from copying physical discs and toward direct streaming of online video.

And while SVOD (subscription video on demand) and transactional VOD (TVOD) services appear to have slowed the incidence of illegal downloads, finding such content is still easy, even with preventative measures in place and occasional awareness campaigns.