The ₹224 billion leak: How piracy drains India’s film industry

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Despite the rise of legitimate streaming platforms, piracy continues to bleed India’s entertainment industry, with film and OTT content suffering the biggest blows. While music piracy has been largely curtailed due to free, ad-supported streaming, video piracy remains rampant, costing the industry a staggering ₹224 billion annually, as per a report released by EY and the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI).

Of this, ₹137 billion in losses stem from pirated movie theatre content, while ₹87 billion is attributed to illegally accessed OTT content. Streaming remains the primary source of pirated content, accounting for 63% of the total, followed by mobile apps at 16%, with social media and torrent platforms contributing another 21%. Entertainment industry experts say video piracy persists because filmmakers, TV producers, and streaming platforms are yet to establish a pricing model that works across income groups.

Additionally, the fragmented availability of films and shows across multiple platforms makes legitimate access inconvenient, pushing audiences toward piracy. The report highlights several key factors pushing this trend, including the widespread availability of high-speed internet, the ease of distributing pirated content online, the difficulty of managing multiple subscriptions, and the steep costs of premium streaming services. Meanwhile, although the music industry is relatively small in comparison, piracy still results in annual losses of approximately ₹1,000 crore.