Will Disney Plus and Apple TV Plus push people back to piracy?

Consumers already think they are paying too much for streaming and won’t be willing to pay for the new streaming services like Apple TV Plus and Disney Plus, a new survey has indicated.

A survey by MUSO – analysts of digital piracy data – highlighted some alarming statistics which may worry companies entering the video streaming game.

The survey asked questions of 1000 Europeans about their streaming service use. The statistic likely to make the most startling reading for companies like Apple and Disney is that 64.2% of those surveyed stated they won’t pay for any more services this year.

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The unwillingness of viewers to pay more for additional streaming services corresponds with another interesting stat from the survey. 80.4% of viewers surveyed think they are already paying too much for streaming.

The survey shouldn’t just concern streaming platforms – the TV and filmmaking industries should take note as well. Consumers reluctance to pay for streaming services could lead to an increase in piracy, according to the survey. Over half of those surveyed said they would look for content on unlicensed platforms if it wasn’t available to them on services they already paid for.

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The opposition to paying more is despite 66% of people surveyed declaring they paid under £30 for streaming – setting a bar for how much users are willing to shell out.

CEO and co-founder of MUSO Andy Chatterly stated: “Expecting consumers to pay almost £100 a month for access to content may well be a challenge … This research shows that people will inevitably seek it elsewhere via unlicensed platforms”.

With Apple TV Plus, Disney Plus and BritBox (ITV and BBC’s upcoming service) all on the horizon, the number of services looking to get customers on board is growing significantly. 66.7% of people surveyed said they already subscribe to one or two streaming services and 20.8% are signed up to three or four.