Piracy dips 'thanks to streaming services'

Australians are jumping the piracy ship and instead swimming toward legal streaming services such as Netflix, Stan and Presto, new research has shown.

Since Netflix launched in March, the number of Australians regularly pirating has dropped by a quarter, say consumer advocacy group CHOICE, which conducted the research.

"This proves once again that making content affordable and easily available is the first and most effective tactic to reduce piracy - not a draconian internet filter and notice scheme," CHOICE Campaigns Manager Erin Turner said in a statement.

Ms Turner was referring to recent threats of legal action by companies, including Foxtel and Village Roadshow, who hold the Australian rights to the vastly-downloaded Game of Thrones, as well as the efforts of US-based Dallas Buyers Club LLC to target thousands of Australians for compensation.

But Ms Turner says as a nation, Australia is keen to pay for legal content, with the survey finding the number of people using legal subscription and pay-per-view services has climbed from 46 per cent to 59 per cent since their initial survey in November 2014.

"The increase is directly related to the launch of Netflix in Australia and the emergence of a local streaming industry, with players such as Stan and Presto competing for customers and offering consumers real alternatives to piracy," Ms Turner says.

"Unlawful downloading comes down to availability, timeliness and affordability."

* The survey was conducted with 1010 participants from July 2 to July 15, 2015