The Last Of Us Got A Huge Honor - That No TV Series Wants
It genuinely seems like the world is entering a second golden age of TV and movie piracy, much to the dismay of executives and creatives who work on such projects. Toward the beginning of May, "Godzilla Minus One" became the most pirated movie in the world, but that doesn't hold a candle to the dubious honor "The Last of Us" has as the most pirated TV show of all of 2023.
Wired shared a report on highly pirated films and TV shows, with "Oppenheimer" winning big as the most pirated movie of 2023. That one is interesting, seeing as it could almost be seen as a companion piece to "Godzilla Minus One," which is set in post-World War II Japan. As for "The Last of Us," exact numbers on how many people pirated it weren't provided; however, the article did mention, "'The Last of Us' amassed 25 percent of the streams and downloads of the 10 most pirated series of 2023 globally."
It's easy to see why people would want to check out the post-apocalyptic Max series by any means necessary. Reviews for "The Last of Us" were unanimously positive, and with a Season 2 in the works, there's an even greater incentive for people to stay up to date. And while there are more streaming services and options for people to watch movies and shows legally, piracy as a whole is on the rise around the world.
The Last of Us' piracy numbers were likely driven by inaccessibility in some countries
Wired spoke with Andy Chatterley, CEO of Muso, a research firm that tracked the global numbers of online piracy, to gain greater insight into why people are turning to this practice more in recent years. Muso claims that 2023 saw a 6.7% increase in piracy from the previous year, and 2022 had greater piracy numbers than 2021. Chatterley tried to explain these stats by saying how sometimes people don't really have a choice if they want to watch something: "The thing about piracy is, it's really just people wanting to consume content. They're not doing it for the act of piracy; they're being driven by marketing on other things that drive legal consumption."
More streaming platforms don't automatically translate to easier viewing options. For example, Max isn't available in every country, and while people could purchase episodes of "The Last of Us" on sites like Prime Video, that costs extra money people may not have. Even if someone lives in a country that has Max, the streamer still costs a fair amount — in the U.S., $9.99 per month with ads. Someone already paying for services like Netflix and Disney+ may not feel like shelling out even more, especially if they're interested in only one show.
A goal with streaming may have been to curb piracy by offering greater ease of access, but it would appear perhaps the opposite occurred. For many people, accessing certain shows and films is still a challenge, and piracy sites are there to pick up the slack. With what we know so far about "The Last of Us" Season 2, there's a good chance the series will reclaim the top piracy spot when it comes out in 2025.