The number of Danes who stream or download movies, series and sports illegally is fairly stable, according to a new survey from the Danish Chamber of Commerce. 33% have accessed content illegally in 2022 compared to 34% in 2020. However, the survey shows that social media has gained ground as a channel for illegal streaming. The Danish Chamber of Commerce believes there is a need for greater efforts from the authorities.
Press Release
In a new survey, the Danish Chamber of Commerce has mapped Danes’ habits and attitudes towards streaming illegal content online. The survey states that the extent in 2022 is stable compared to 2020, but still high.
The large scale of the problem raises concerns in the Danish Chamber of Commerce.
“It is a major issue that so much content continues to be streamed or downloaded illegally. I think many of us are big consumers of movies, series, and sports of all kinds. But if we don’t want to pay for the content, there is ultimately no money to produce quality content such as Druk, Borgen or Holger Rune’s grand slam tennis matches. And in principle, walking past a store and grabbing items to take home without paying for them is the same as streaming digital content without paying for it. Both are illegal. The Danish Chamber of Commerce’s survey shows that 33% stream content without payment. This is a huge problem that needs much more attention – also at the level of the authorities,” says Casper Klynge, Deputy Director of the Danish Chamber of Commerce.
Illegal streaming also takes place on social media
For the first time, the survey examines how much illegal content is streamed via social media. The survey shows that social media has become popular for sharing, receiving, or accessing illegal content.
Almost one in ten Danes (9%) have shared, received, or accessed illegal content on social media in the past 12 months. YouTube is the most commonly used social media for this purpose, followed by Facebook, TikTok, and others. Although there has been a focus on shutting down illegal Danish file-sharing services and websites, the market is moving to other channels such as social media. Not surprisingly, young Danes in the age group 15-29 are particularly likely to share, receive or access illegal content on social media. Almost one in four (23%) in the 15-29 age group have done so within the past 12 months.
Here, too, there is a need for an intensified effort to counter this development, says the Danish Rights Alliance.
“Now that the police’s Section for Rights Protection under NSK has stopped the dedicated Danish file sharing services, it’s really unfortunate that illegal consumption is moving to legal social media. This calls for an intensified effort from these platforms both in terms of informing users and stopping the distribution of illegal content. Today, with the exception of a few isolated cases, we are nowhere near anything that can really curb the illegal activities that take place under their auspices. This requires the platforms to actively participate, and if there are platforms that do not live up to this responsibility, it may be necessary to involve the authorities,” says Maria Fredenslund, CEO of the Danish Rights Alliance.
For more information contact:
Deputy Director of the Danish Chamber of Commerce Casper Klynge, tel. +45 41 90 41 17, cakl@danskerhverv.dk
CEO of Rights Alliance Maria Fredenslund, tel. +45 21 64 74 74 48, maria.fredenslund@rettighedsalliancen.dk