Report: Anime drives TV piracy
June 11, 2025
By Colin Mann
Piracy data monitoring specialist Muso has released its 2024 Piracy Trends and Insights Report in which it suggests that in 2024, piracy didn’t vanish – it evolved.
Muso tracked 216.3 billion visits to piracy websites in 2024. “While that’s a modest 5.7 per cent decline from 2023, the full picture is far more nuanced,” said the company. Beneath the surface, some sectors surged while others receded, painting a complex map of shifting global media demand.
Piracy Trends by Content Category
- TV Piracy: TV piracy remains the dominant form of unlicensed content consumption, with a total of 96.8 billion visits globally. This represents a 6.8 per cent decrease. The continued demand for episodic content, particularly Anime, is a key driver.
“The genre’s relentless release cycles and delayed localisation make it a magnet for unlicensed consumption,” said Muso.
- Publishing Piracy: Publishing piracy experienced an increase in 2024, with visits rising to 66.4 billion. This represents a 4.3 per cent increase. The rise of Manga and digital self-publishing contributes to this growth.
“This isn’t a niche trend anymore. Publishing piracy is now the second-largest piracy category, behind only TV,” noted Muso.
- Film Piracy: Film piracy declined in 2024, with visits dropping to 24.3 billion, an 18 per cent decrease. This decline may be attributed to the increasing availability of legal streaming options and a decrease in major film releases due to production delays.
“The Hollywood strikes of 2023 left gaps in the release calendar, reducing demand simply because there was less to pirate,” suggested Muso.
- Software Piracy: In 2024, software piracy declined to 14.9 billion visits, a 2.1 per cent decrease. The shift towards cloud-based subscription models continues to impact software piracy.
- Music Piracy: Music piracy saw a decline, falling to 13.9 billion visits, a 18.6 per cent decrease. The growth of licensed streaming services has likely contributed to this decline.
In conclusion, Muso sees piracy as a demand signal, suggesting that it persists not because consumers reject legitimacy, but because legitimate options still fail to meet expectations in price, access, or timing. The data from 2024 makes this clear:
- Publishing piracy is now structurally driven, not seasonal
- TV remains hampered by platform fragmentation
- Film piracy reflects real-time release trends
- Music and software sectors show what success looks like when access models evolve
- Piracy insights can directly inform revenue recovery strategies
“Piracy is a map of unmet audience demand and a signal of where the industry must go next,” concluded Muso.
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