Television programme file-sharing on the rise
Unauthorised and free copies of television programmes are now being viewed by tens of millions of television viewers, according to new research from Big Champagne.
Visits to “torrent” sites have doubled over the past year, with file-sharing involving films and television continuing to rise.
US programmes are the most popular, with Heroes being the most illegally downloaded programme this year at 55 million, followed by Lost at 51 million.
| Programme | Downloads |
|---|---|
| Heroes | 54,562,012 |
| Lost | 51,151,396 |
| 24 | 34,119,093 |
| Prison Break | 29,283,591 |
| House | 26,277,954 |
| Fringe | 21,434,755 |
| Desperate Housewives | 21,378,412 |
| Grey’s Anatomy | 19,916,775 |
| Gossip Girl | 19,706,870 |
| Smallville | 19,598,999 |
“Millions of television viewers now access free, unauthorised versions of favourite shows at least some of the time,” says Eric Garland, chief executive of Big Champagne. “This is a socially acceptable form of casual piracy – and it is replacing viewing hours.”
The full research from Big Champagne is going to be presented at Edinburgh’s annual television festival this weekend, where Newsline is based to provide full coverage.