Survey: 7 in 10 Pinoys watch pirated content

MANILA, Philippines — Seven out of 10 Filipinos consume pirated content through illegal platforms online, prompting a telco giant to call for the passage of Senate bills allowing site-blocking measures.

In a survey, the Asia Video Industry Association’s Coalition Against Piracy (AVIA-CAP) found out that 70 percent of Filipinos have streamed pirated films, shows and videos this year.

When compared, piracy consumption in the Philippines is up from 58 percent in 2023, reflecting the growing demand among Filipinos to watch illegal content.

In Southeast Asia, the Philippines came in second in terms of piracy rate, trailing Vietnam’s 71 percent. Worse, the survey reported that 92 percent of Filipinos understand that online piracy has negative consequences, including job losses and malware risks.

Further, AVIA-CAP warned that the allure of free content online would keep on driving up piracy rates. As such, measures have to be put in place to prevent piracy consumption from growing.

Globe chief sustainability and corporate communications officer Maria Yolanda Crisanto said the piracy trend in the Philippines should be reason enough for lawmakers to amend the Intellectual Property (IP) Code.

“This worrying trend highlights the urgency of strengthening enforcement against piracy, which can be done through amending the IP Code to enable site blocking,” Crisanto said.

“We believe this will go a long way in curbing content piracy, which will in turn support creative industries and protect our consumers from the dangers posed by pirated content,” she added.

In particular, Globe supports the passage of Senate proposals that seek to strengthen the IP Code. Senate Bill (SB) 2150, authored by Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, will restrict access to websites that promote copyright infringement, placing fines of up to P1 million for violations.

Meanwhile, SB 2385, filed by Sen. Ramon Revilla Jr., will institute site-blocking measures in the powers of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines. The House of Representatives, for its part, passed in 2023 a bill that complements Estrada and Revilla’s proposed legislations.

Globe underscored the need for site-blocking measures to safeguard creative industries, valued at P1.6 trillion, from losing money to copyright violators,

Globe is raising public awareness and is campaigning for IP protection through its own program called #PlayItRight.