38% of Italians have resorted to piracy at least once in 2024

In the past two years, piracy in the audiovisual sector has shown a slight decline both in the number of users involved and in the number of illegal episodes recorded. However, the potential economic impact on businesses in the sector and on the national economy remains extremely serious. Even in 2024, among adults, digital piracy continues to be the main form of access to audiovisual and sports content.

These are the key findings from the latest FAPAV/Ipsos survey, presented this morning in Rome at the “Carlo Mosca” Great Hall of the Advanced Training School for Police Forces, the Ministry of the Interior’s training institute. The event, titled “General States of the Fight Against Piracy: Legality, Security, and Artificial Intelligence. Content industries, cultural consumption, and unlawful behavior,” was organized by the Italian Federation for the Protection of Audiovisual and Multimedia Content Industries (FAPAV). It gathered prominent figures from the audiovisual industry, public institutions, and law enforcement to discuss the current state of the phenomenon in Italy.

According to Ipsos, in 2024, 38% of Italian adults committed at least one act of piracy, illegally accessing films (29%), TV series or fiction (23%), entertainment programs (22%), and live sports events (15%). These numbers are essentially unchanged compared to the previous year. In total, it is estimated that around 295 million acts of piracy were committed this year, marking an 8% decrease from 2023 and a 56% reduction compared to 2016, the year of the first survey. In the sports sector, practiced by 15% of the adult population, football remains the most pirated content, followed by Formula 1, tennis, and MotoGP.

In the past two years, a new anti-piracy law has been introduced, considered a model for other European countries. Since February 2024, Piracy Shield has been in operation. It is a tool capable of blocking illegal live broadcasts of sports events within 30 minutes. There are plans to extend its use to first-release content, as outlined in Law 93/2023. To this end, AGCOM is currently conducting a consultation to make this expansion possible.

Today’s digital pirates use various channels to illegally access content: unauthorized IPTV services (22%), online streaming (18%), downloading or peer-to-peer sharing (15%), social networks (13%), and instant messaging apps (10%).

In 2024, around 15 million people used unofficial IPTV services. While 70% acknowledge the negative consequences of this practice on the economy and society, 45% do not perceive it as a real crime.

The typical profile of a pirate has not changed: most are under 35 (39%), employed (60%), have above-average education (21% university graduates), and are concentrated in Southern Italy and the islands (40%).

Among youth aged 10 to 14, piracy appears to be losing appeal: in 2024, about 40% committed at least one illegal act, with a 14% drop in the overall number of episodes compared to 2023, amounting to 17.7 million acts. Among this group, there is a significant decrease in movie piracy, while violations related to live sports and TV series remain stable. Digital piracy among teens is down 5 percentage points from the previous year, while indirect piracy and physical media piracy have not changed.

As for films and TV series, approximately 61 million lost views were estimated, resulting in an economic loss of around €530 million, slightly lower (-4%) than in 2023. Including potentially lost legal subscriptions for a full year, the total loss rises to €778 million (+1%) compared to the previous year. Regarding live sports, despite a slight drop in the number of illegal acts (-6%), it is estimated that 12 million views were lost, causing an economic damage of €350 million, a 23% increase from 2023.

Overall, considering films, TV series, and live sports, piracy in Italy results in an estimated revenue loss of €2.2 billion, with an impact on GDP of about €904 million, a tax shortfall of €407 million, and over 12,000 jobs lost. These figures are scarily increasing compared to last year.

Even though the majority recognizes piracy as a crime (75% of underage pirates and 78% of adults), just over half actually fear being caught and punished (61% of young people, 56% of adults). Moreover, only half of the population (pirates and non-pirates) believes that these acts seriously harm the audiovisual sector and, by extension, the country’s economy and employment.

In this context, and considering the anti-piracy law enacted in August 2023 and the activation of Piracy Shield since February 2024, it is essential to strengthen public awareness of the legal and social risks related to piracy.

Although 70% of Italians are aware of the new law (up nearly 20 points from 2023), only 14% claim to know it well. 42% remain skeptical about the law’s effectiveness, believing there are ways to circumvent it. The more direct or indirect knowledge people have of real sanctions, the greater the law’s deterrent effect, avoiding it being seen solely as punitive.

As for Piracy Shield, most Italians consider it a useful tool against audiovisual (79%) and sports piracy (71% among those who used illegal channels to watch sports events in 2024). Significantly, 47% of pirates, when faced with blocked sites, prefer to switch to legal alternatives.

Federico Bagnoli Rossi, President of FAPAV, stated: “The research presented today by Nando Pagnoncelli, referring to 2024, shows that the piracy phenomenon in our country is undergoing a transformation, with a slight decrease in both acts and incidence. The new AGCOM regulation on 30-minute blocking is starting to yield results. There is still a lot to do, but we are convinced that the path taken is the right one, and we expect dedicated data in the next report. This slight contraction does not reduce the overall seriousness of the phenomenon, which remains alarming, especially from the economic damage it causes to audiovisual and sports industries and to the national economic and employment systems. Ipsos data shows that piracy is still practiced by a significant portion of the population—individuals who are aware but disregard the direct and indirect harm caused by every illegal act. This is not just an economic or industrial issue, but it also carries with it links to a social dimension, where individual pirates become part of a criminal system focused solely on profit. Deterrence remains an important tool to combat this phenomenon: we hope that Piracy Shield can also be used to block, within 30 minutes, not just live sports events, but also first-release movies and series. We need to work alongside law enforcement, the judiciary, and institutions to combat all forms of piracy by quickly and effectively applying the laws that make our country a model for others. At the same time, as FAPAV, we are committed to communication campaigns and educational projects aimed at informing and raising awareness about the value of legality. One such initiative is the second edition of our campaign “We Are Stories”, which tells true stories of young professionals who have fulfilled or aspire to fulfill their dreams of working in the audiovisual industry. In essence, combating piracy requires action on multiple fronts to reduce illegality while promoting safe and conscious access to content.”

Nando Pagnoncelli, President of Ipsos Italy, added: “In Italy, the sense of legality tends to provoke strong condemnation only for the most serious crimes, while indulgence prevails for other types of offenses. In the case of piracy, we continue to observe widespread self-indulgence, especially when people ignore the broader impact on the economy, tax revenue, and employment, coupled with a sense of impunity. The new law and Piracy Shield will have an impact over time. It is important to communicate not only the law but also the risks tied to its enforcement: the frequency and severity of sanctions and the outcomes of enforcement actions must be clearly shared with all Italians so they can have a preventative effect, even before a punitive one.”

AUDIOVISUAL PIRACY IN ITALY IN 2024 – KEY FIGURES

• 38%: Overall incidence of piracy (films, series/fiction, programs, and live sports) among Italians aged 15 and over (39% in 2023, 42% in 2022, 43% in 2021, 37% in 2019, 38% in 2018, 37% in 2017, 39% in 2016).

• Film piracy: 29% (30% in 2023).

• Series/fiction piracy: 23% (22% in 2023).

• Program piracy: 22% (21% in 2023).

• Live sports piracy: 15% (stable compared to 2023).

• 22%: Incidence of illegal IPTV use for watching films, series, programs, and sports, even just on trial or without a subscription (23% between 2021 and 2023, 19% during the 2020 lockdown, 10% in 2019). Equal to 11.5 million Italians aged 15 and over.

• 294.5 million: Estimated total number of piracy acts in 2024.

• 73 million: Estimated number of lost viewings of films, series/fiction, and live sports.

• €778 million: Estimated potential revenue loss due to unlicensed viewing of pirated films and series/fiction in 2024, assuming year-long legal subscriptions (+1% vs 2023).

• €350 million: Estimated revenue loss from illegal viewing of live sports content in 2024 (+23% vs 2023).

• €2.2 billion: Estimated total revenue loss across all Italian economic sectors due to piracy of films, series/fiction, and live sports (+10% vs 2023).

• €904 million: Estimated impact on Italy’s GDP (+10% vs 2023).

• 12,100: Estimated jobs at risk due to audiovisual piracy (+8% vs 2023).

• 49%: Share of pirates who believe they are not causing significant harm by pirating.

• 58%: Share of pirates not fully aware that piracy may lead to job losses in the audiovisual industry.

• 47%: Of pirates encountering blocked websites switched to legal sources.

• 40%: Incidence of piracy among 10–14-year-olds (45% in 2023, 47% in 2022, 51% in 2021, 39% in 2019, 47% in 2018, 44% in 2017, 51% in 2016).

• 17.7 million: Acts of piracy among 10–14-year-olds in 2024.

• 75%: Of adolescent pirates are aware that piracy is a crime.

• 61%: Of adolescent pirates believe it is likely they will be discovered and sanctioned.