UK Pirates Are Big Box Office Spenders

[Archiee]

Evidence continues to mount that despite downloading movies for free once in a while, the pirates of the world are the biggest media spenders altogether. This time written by the British communications regulator OfCom, the comprehensive study suggests that many pirates spend as much as 300 per cent more on media than a person that doesn’t download.

The information was retrieved as part of a survey of just under 4,500 internet users, aged 12 and older. In conclusion, the researchers found that of the 16 per cent that said they downloaded, the majority were termed, “hybrids,” because they also paid for movies, music, concerts and such like. Ultimately it was found that these hybrids, could spend much, much more than those that didn’t pirate at all. In a three month test period, 100 per cent legal movie fans spend around £35 ($55). Comparatively, the hybrid pirates – which are sounding more and more like something out of Davy Jones fish-head crew – spent almost £60 ($95) in the same period.

Hybrid pirates look a lot better with CG makeup

The survey also asked individuals what they considered certain media to be worth. Here the hybrids again came up trumps, with regular buyers suggesting music tracks and movies were worth 72p ($1.1) and £3.74 ($6) respectively. However, the hybrid pirates believed they were worth more than that, with the average response from them being 76p ($1.20) and £4.92 ($7.8).

While the classic stance of the entertainment industry has been that piracy = lost sales, evidence like this suggests otherwise. While there will always be a segment of piracy that is 100% non profitable for the studios, by going after those that download music and movies illegally, they’re going after some of their biggest fans. The simple fact that they consume as much as they do suggests there’s a market to be exploited, not one to stamp down on.

[godfader4]

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