Study Reveals 45% Online Thai Consumers Use Pirate Set Top Boxes

• According to the Asia Video Industry Association, almost half of the online population in Thailand use pirate set-top boxes.
• The boxes are also known as Illicit Streaming devices and offer access to hundreds of television channels, live events, and PPV content.
• AVIA also reported how the set-top boxes have become a prevalent means of spreading malware.

According to a report published by CAP (Coalition Against Piracy) under the Asia Video Industry Association, less than two-thirds of the online Thai population pay for digital media content. Roughly 45% of the online population has access to set-top boxes with pre-configurations that allow access to content for free.

CAP revealed in its report “These TV boxes, also known as Illicit Streaming Devices (ISDs), allow users to access hundreds of pirated television channels and video-on-demand content, usually with a low annual fee.” Pirate set-top boxes are quite easily available all over the world and the media industry has been trying to crack down on them over the years.

General Manager of CAP Neil Gain revealed that the survey focused on Internet-connected consumers who do not consume video content as well, which means that the actual numbers reported by the study can be drastically different. The 45% population reported by CAP also does not account for users who use piracy-capable devices like laptops, mobile phones, computers, and other devices as the study was restricted to set-top boxes only.

According to CAP, the respondents reported having canceled one or more legal subscriptions to get access to the pirated content via set-top boxes which highlights the impact of piracy. Younger people are more attracted towards these pirate devices, and most users are in the age group of 17-24 years.

The report has not only highlighted the problems of piracy but also revealed that these preconfigured set-top boxes can have a damaging impact on consumers too. Many piracy websites and applications have misleading advertisements which can initiate malware downloads. Trojans and malware can be found in leading pirate sets and may offer unwarranted access and control to personal data of unsuspecting users.

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