New data from the data analytics firm MUSO shows that the United States now leads the world in illegally downloading and sharing manga content online. According to MUSO’s recent “2023 Piracy by Industry Data Review” report, over 13% of all global piracy website traffic for manga comes from the US.
The report also revealed that manga is the most pirated type of published content in the world, accounting for 69% of all pirated novels, web fiction, audiobooks and other published media.
In fact, piracy of published material has surpassed film piracy to become the second most prevalent type of media piracy worldwide in 2020. It trails only TV show piracy and increased by 7.4% in 2023.
This data highlights the massive demand for manga content globally and particularly in the US.
However, it also demonstrates concerning trends regarding respect for manga publishers’ intellectual property rights and the need for improved anti-piracy measures in the digital era.
The MUSO report also looked specifically at the most pirated TV shows of 2023. It found that anime dominated the top 10 list, with 8 out of the 10 most pirated titles being anime series.
Overall TV show piracy increased by 6.7% compared to 2022.
In total, there were an estimated 224.9 billion visits to piracy sites for TV content last year alone, highlighting the massive scale of illegal streaming and downloading.
MUSO pointed out that these continuing increases in piracy underscore the urgent need for TV, film, and publishing industries to understand the consumer shifts that are pushing people toward unauthorized distribution channels rather than legitimate licensed sources.
The data indicates that while anime and manga are hugely popular, many fans globally are accessing content through illegal means.
The industries need to address the underlying factors, whether pricing, availability, or convenience, that drive piracy.
More effective anti-piracy strategies and improved licensed offerings are needed to counter the growing trends.
Cracking Down on Manga Piracy, Recent Arrests, and Industry Responses
This MUSO report showing the major increase in manga piracy comes just a week after two individuals were arrested for allegedly leaking chapters of the popular manga magazine Weekly Shonen Jump before its official release date.
In response to the arrests, several major leakers of popular manga series like One Piece and Jujutsu Kaisen preemptively shut down their illegal scanlation sites and Discord channels, likely anticipating police investigations.
The manga piracy statistics likely also include illegal distribution of webcomics and Korean manhwa, which publishers in those industries have also been trying to crack down on.
For example, Korean company Kakao Entertainment recently forced the takedown of the popular Tachiyomi manga app and collaborated with the U.S. government to arrest a web novel site owner.
The massive scale of the $675 million in transactions last year on the Japanese manga app Piccoma highlights the huge popularity and growth of the manga industry.
Legal manga distributors are taking varied approaches to combat piracy, from legal action to releasing free licensed chapters.
The goal is to convert some portion of those estimated 224.9 billion visits to piracy sites into legal manga consumption.
However, the data indicates major challenges still exist in stemming illegal distribution and getting fans to access content through legitimate platforms.
Variances Across Media Categories and Global Regions
While the U.S. leads in TV shows and published media piracy due to its large population and widespread broadband access, the trends differ across other media categories.
For movie piracy, India dominates with 30% of global visits according to MUSO, far exceeding other countries.
Interestingly, visits dropped sharply in the second half of 2023 for unclear reasons.
In music piracy, Iran surprisingly takes the top spot with 11.8% of global traffic to stream-ripping, download, and streaming portals. India and the U.S. follow closely behind as the next leading sources.
For software piracy, MUSO attributes most activity to Russia, with the U.S. and China not far behind.
This encompasses visits to app piracy and illegal download sites.
The data shows piracy landscapes can vary significantly by media type and region.
Factors like population, tech infrastructure, legal availability, and cultural differences may contribute to which countries drive piracy across different content categories.
The report provides valuable insights for industry targeting of anti-piracy efforts.
