Global pirate site visits have decreased by nearly 5% in 2024, according to new data from MUSO, bringing the total to 216 billion visits. This marks a slight decline from the 229 billion recorded in 2023, suggesting a trend of decreasing interest in general piracy. However, the data also shows that certain types of content are drawing more attention, particularly in the publishing sector.
Despite the overall decline, the report highlights a noteworthy increase in publishing-related pirate site visits, rising by 4.3% to 66.4 billion visits. This growth is largely attributed to the popularity of manga, which accounts for over 70% of all publishing-related piracy. The shift in piracy trends indicates that while traditional book piracy remains relatively stable, manga has become a significant driver of the publishing piracy category.
Interestingly, Japan, the home of manga, ranks fifth in the publishing piracy category, even though it does not appear in the top 15 countries for total pirate site visits. This suggests that the country’s citizens might be more inclined to pirate manga content rather than other forms of media. Meanwhile, in other categories such as music and film, the decline in piracy visits has been more pronounced, with music piracy dropping by 19% and film piracy by 18%.
The report attributes the drop in film piracy to a ‘lighter blockbuster calendar,’ which reduced piracy peaks. Rightsholders note that the decline is partly due to what wasn’t released rather than access issues. The music piracy decline is credited to the ‘secure app ecosystems’ and the ‘wide adoption of licensed platforms like Spotify and Apple Music,’ which provide users with legal and convenient access to music content.
These findings highlight the evolving landscape of digital piracy, where the preferences and behaviors of users are shifting, leading to new patterns in content consumption and piracy trends. The data from MUSO provides insight into these changes, underscoring the need for continued monitoring and strategies to address piracy in the digital age.