OTTs Suffering Losses Due to Piracy! What's Up?

Despite spending heavily on anti-piracy measures, streaming services in India are still losing up to 25% of their annual revenue due to illegal content leaks. This issue has become a serious concern for both global and local OTT platforms, with their premium content often appearing on platforms like Telegram and WhatsApp within hours of release.

Experts have stated that digital platforms where pirated content is shared are often hesitant to take action against users who upload illegal content. Aloke Majumdar, Vice President of Technology at Hoichoi, a leading Bengali OTT platform, explained that while they continuously upgrade their security measures, premium content still appears on illegal platforms, which causes significant revenue loss.

Anuja Trivedi, Chief Marketing Officer at Shemaroo, shared similar concerns. She mentioned that pirated versions of their films and web series on ShemarooMe often spread across file-sharing platforms, leading to considerable revenue loss. She emphasized that these platforms should take action against users involved in the illegal distribution of content.

Dilip Chandra, Senior Vice President of Aha OTT, a South India-based streaming platform, also acknowledged that piracy remains a major issue for the OTT industry. He pointed out that identifying and securing the entire content pipeline is a complex task. With multiple partners involved, there are often loopholes that pirates can exploit, making the situation more challenging.

The financial impact of piracy is staggering. In 2023, India’s entertainment industry faced a loss of Rs 22,400 crore due to piracy. Of this, Rs 13,700 crore was lost by movie theatres, while Rs 8,700 crore was lost by OTT platforms, according