According to a survey conducted by CreditCall on behalf of the Association of Television Broadcasters of Slovakia (ATVS), 47% of people in Slovakia use at least one paid platform to watch movies, series or music. This number is growing in line with the launch of streaming services by local commercial channels, with 47% now subscribing to such a service.
The survey, conducted through telephone interviews with 1,000 respondents, also revealed that piracy of audiovisual content remains a significant problem in Slovakia. Almost 20% of the population admitted to accessing content illegally. 10.63% of respondents said they access both legal and online content, while 9% confirmed they obtain movies, series or music exclusively from pirated sources.
“We assume that in reality this number can be even higher, because people do not always admit to these activities,” explains Lucia Tandlich, director of the legal department of the Markíza group, which operates six TV channels including TV Markíza, Doma, Dajto and Markíza KRIMI. “The availability of pirated content on the Internet remains a problem. Not only does it significantly impact the work of domestic creators, who already face funding challenges, but this deliberate violation of copyright also makes services more expensive for paying viewers.”
The survey found that 56.17% of Slovaks watch or download content from online platforms, with 48.39% doing so at least once a week and 23.21% daily. Illegal access to content represents a significant financial loss for companies that have purchased licenses or produce the content.
New legislation designed to prevent the spread of illegal content online has been incorporated into the Slovak copyright act, aligning with the relevant European directive on copyright. Tandlich emphasizes the importance of public education, stating, “Pirated content should be treated in the same way as stowaways on public transport are treated. It is important to realize that with this approach you can ultimately harm yourself by not being able to view similar content next time, because, for example, it will not be created at all.”
The survey revealed that over 42% of respondents believe it is important to support creators and the creative industry by using legal content monitoring services.