Advanced Television

Data: Portugal sees sharp rise in content piracy

May 21, 2025

From Branislav Pekic in Rome

Film and TV piracy in Portugal has risen significantly in recent years, exceeding the European average in terms of piracy site visits per internet user.

Data from Muso, a piracy audience measurement company, shows 8.4 billion visits to piracy sites in Portugal between 2017 and March 2025, averaging 1,211 visits per user. In the same period, Europe saw 423 billion visits to piracy websites, averaging 911 visits per internet user. At the same time, globally there were 1.63 trillion visits to such sites, with an average of 486 visits per user.

The trend continued between May 2024 and March 2025, with Portugal registering 187 visits per user compared to the European average of 108.

Despite once being a leader in anti-piracy measures, Portugal now lags behind other European countries in combating the growing problem of audiovisual piracy, which is being exacerbated by AI.

This has a substantial economic impact, costing the Portuguese economy an estimated €250 million annually. AI is making the fight against piracy more challenging by enabling advanced circumvention techniques, including DRM and watermark removal, as well as sophisticated content distribution.

According to the participants of the International Colloquium on Piracy and Audiovisual Content in Lisbon, while Portugal made strides with anti-piracy legislation, it needs to modernise its approach to keep pace with evolving technologies and tactics.

Experts recommend involving VPN providers in blocking efforts, modernising legislation, and implementing “Cease and desist” mechanisms similar to those used successfully in other countries.

Guy Oliver, commercial director of research and data at Muso, commented: “This level of activity highlights the urgent need for anti-piracy strategies, particularly in markets like Portugal where engagement per user is remarkably high.”

Categories: Articles, Consumer Behaviour, Content, Piracy, Research

Tags: , ,