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How Advertiser-Supported Piracy Helps Fuel A Booming Multi-Billion (B) Dollar Illegal Market

For nearly as long as the modern entertainment industry has offered content to the public, it has relied upon advertising and on subscription services for its financial lifeblood. With the emergence of the Internet, the means to deliver movies, TV shows, and other forms of content have changed, but the advertising and subscription models have endured.

But while the legitimate means of distributing entertainment has evolved,  so have the tactics of criminals who exploit stolen content for profit. These criminals now offer stolen movies, TV shows, games, and live events illegally through websites and, to an increasing degree, through illicit devices and apps. And it is big money, in large part funded by advertising, including by well-known and iconic brands.

This report is the result of a year of investigation of the content theft business model and how it generates advertising revenues. The report, prepared by the online consumer safety group Digital Citizens Alliance and piracy and advertising specialists White Bullet Solutions Limited, reveals that the bad actors who operate in the illegal, underground market for pirated movies, TV shows, and other forms of content theft are reaping an estimated $1.34 billion in annual revenues through advertising on websites and illicit streaming apps.

In doing so, they harm creators, damage the reputation of brands and the overall advertising ecosystem, expose consumers to fraud and malware, and pose new challenges for law enforcement, via both websites and apps.

To read the rest of the report, click here

To view the infographic, click here

To read the news release, click here

To see Digital Citizens Alliance polling, click here