Photo illustration Hadopi.

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DURAND FLORENCE / SIPA

Nearly 12 million Internet users illicitly consumed audiovisual and sports content in 2019, the loss of earnings for these sectors amounting to 1.03 billion euros, according to an unprecedented study unveiled this Wednesday by the Hadopi law .

Entrusted to the consulting firm PMP and based on data collected by Médiamétrie from more than 2,500 Internet users in January 2020, this survey assesses the losses caused by piracy on the various legal offers in the audiovisual and sports sectors.

Sale of DVD and Blu-ray, movie theaters, subscription video service, pay channels, advertising revenue, sports ticketing ... Exceeding one billion euros, the shortfall represents a total of 9% of a market of 11, 6 billion.

Physical sales are the most affected

While the most affected operating methods are physical sales (310 million euros) and the sale of pay-TV subscriptions (260 million euros), public finances are deprived of more than 320 million euros. euros in tax revenue (VAT, social and employer contributions, corporate and income tax), according to the study.

Piracy also represents a potential destruction of 2,650 jobs for the sectors concerned, "already very weakened by the effects of the health crisis", as Denis Rapone, the president of the High Authority for Health, recalled during a videoconference. dissemination of works and protection of rights on the Internet (Hadopi).

If "certain pirating practices have drastically decreased" since 2009 and the creation of Hadopi, notably downloading via peer-to-peer (P2P) networks, others "such as streaming and direct downloading remain important" or are experiencing "significant progress," added Denis Rapone.

He thus cites the use of “illicit IPTV” (low-cost access to channels from around the world via a box or an application) and “live viewing”, known as “live streaming”.

A new law from 2021?

"Thus, 11.8 million Internet users on average" are affected "every month".

They were even "13.6 million" in March, the confinement having "amplified the phenomenon", said Denis Rapone.

Sport is particularly affected by these developments.

In September, “3.4 million Internet users used live streaming”, mainly for “live sports broadcasts”.

A figure "for the first time" higher than the number of users of "peer to peer over the same period (2.6 million)", according to Mr. Rapone.

In this context, Hadopi calls "ardently" the "resumption of the examination" of the anti-piracy provisions provided for by the audiovisual reform, the first version of which has been abandoned, the health crisis having upset the schedule. parliamentary.

This text provided in particular for a merger of the CSA and Hadopi within a new regulatory authority called Arcom.

The executive wants to put in place a new audiovisual law before the end of the five-year term, or even as early as 2021, in particular to tackle piracy, LREM MP Aurore Bergé indicated last week.

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  • Economy

  • Streaming

  • Piracy

  • Consumption

  • Hadopi