There is a persistent and widely held misconception about the nature of the piracy audience, one that stems, in part, from the term ‘pirates’ itself. This label skews perception, reinforcing the idea of lawlessness rather than recognizing what we prefer to call The Unlicensed Audience, a vast, engaged group whose behaviour often signals unmet demand. This misunderstanding has led to strategic miscalculations across the entertainment industry. Many assume that digital piracy is primarily driven by a fringe group of disengaged, non-paying consumers. However, when we look at the data, a different picture emerges, one that challenges long-standing assumptions and reveals digital piracy as an essential indicator of true audience demand.
