Site blocking a key to curbing content piracy in APAC

Site blocking, when implemented in an efficient and effective way, is an “incredibly powerful tool” to stop online piracy and direct consumers towards legitimate content, said the Coalition Against Piracy (CAP).

Drawing on results from a 2023 consumer survey on content piracy, CAP highlighted the example of Singapore, which has devoted a decade to helping rights holders protect their content via the provision of judicial site blocking measures.

Today, Singapore has the lowest percentage of consumer piracy in the region, with only 39% of consumers accessing pirated content, according to CAP. 

Matt Cheetham, General Manager of CAP, added, “The surveys also show the benefits of consumer education with a growing awareness amongst consumers of the negative consequences of piracy, particularly via illicit profiteering and malware.”

In Indonesia and Malaysia, 62% and 64% of consumers respectively indicate that they have changed their viewing habits because of pirate content sites being blocked. Overall, CAP’s survey highlighted how an average of 20% of consumers in the Asia-Pacific region who stopped accessing pirated sites then turned to paying for subscription services.

There is also a clear indication that consumers in the region want access to good content free of malware.More than 60% of consumers across the region said they would subscribe to legitimate services if there was no pirate content available on social media and messaging platforms. Almost 50% of consumers would also subscribe to legitimate paid online services if the content they wanted to watch was not available via a pirate source.