MUSO’s data provides deep insights into audience demand for film and TV content across both unlicensed streaming and torrent networks. Our data platform, MUSO Discover, is widely used by the entertainment industry to find, commission and acquire content by revealing a more accurate picture of content trends and audience demand.
MONTHLY INSIGHTS FOR february 2023
- Launched in late January, Your Honor (S2) increased in demand throughout February, and in the week-ending 25 February, was one of the Top Ten most shared TV series across P2P/Torrents. Demand for Season 1 was high when Season 2 began, as viewers either cough up or reminded themselves of preceding events. Demand for Season 1 peaked again, after the release of Part Fourteen, as viewers searched for context to the unfolding drama.
- Sharper (2023) was one of the top 10 Films shared across P2P/torrents in the week ending 19 February. The title had a week-long release in selected US cinemas before release on Apple TV on 17 February. Demand for the title was particularly high in Scandinavian countries, with twice as many people in Sweden, Denmark and Finland watching the film, compared with the global average.
- The Good Doctor (S6) was one of the Top 10 TV Shows shared across P2P/Torrents in the week ending 19 February. Demand for this season, which started in October 2022, increased in popularity throughout February; with the season finale then scheduled for 13 March. Many viewers were catching up on earlier seasons, weekly peaks in demand for Season 5 occurred as episodes of the current season were released.
- Infinity Pool was the 5th most shared film across P2P/torrents in the week ending 19 February. The film was released on VOD on 14 February meaning that high quality pirate versions became available, leading to increased demand. The low-budget independent film took around $5M at the box office and has been well received by critics (86% on Rotten Tomatoes). A longer cinema release window may have substantially increased box office takings as the title is in demand.
- Empire Magazine rate When Harry Met Sally (1989) as their number one romantic film of all time and this ascension is backed by MUSO data, which showed a surge in demand for the title on Valentine’s Day. Classic romantic titles Gone With The Wind (1939) and Breakfast At Tiffany's (1961) also peaked in demand on 14th February; along with the more modern titles, The Princess Bride (1987) and Before Sunrise (1995).
- There were two Star Wars TV series in the top 10 most shared TV series across P2P/torrents: Andor (S1) and The Bad Batch (S2). The UK, Germany and Canada were among the top 5 countries watching The Bad Batch (S2), though none of these appear in the top 5 countries watching Andor (S1). Conversely, Mexico, Argentina and Columbia appeared in the top 5 countries watching Andor (S1) but none appeared in the top 5 for The Bad Batch (S2).
- Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022) was still in the Top 20 of Pirated Films worldwide in mid February. Demand was highest when High Quality Pirate versions became available in mid May 2022, which coincided with the Film's release on VOD and Blu-Ray. The Oscars nominations created fresh demand for the title but in early January 2023, prior to the announcement, it was still one of the Top 20 most in-demand films globally. Piracy spiked again following the big win in March with unlicensed demand doubling in the immediate two day period following the announcement
- Poker Face S1 was the 5th most shared TV show across P2P/torrents in the week 30 January to 05 February. It would seem that people wished to keep a copy of this show as 38% of piracy has been via P2P/torrents, whereas across other TV Shows, only 12% of piracy is via P2P/torrents; the remainder is through Streaming sites. Viewership was particularly high in the USA and Japan where demand for the show was double the global average.
- Plane was the 2nd most shared Film across P2P/torrents worldwide, in the week ending 05 February. The title became available on VOD platforms on 03 February which has boosted demand, as high quality versions became available to Piracy audiences. Demand for the title was highest in the USA, Thailand and UK. Demand in Thailand was more than 3x higher than the global average.
- The increase in demand for The Last Of Us (S1) in early February was most noticeable in the USA, UK and Canada. Piracy demand, through Streaming Sites, tripled in the USA and Canada, between the release of Episode 1 and the release of Episode 2. In the UK, the audience almost quadrupled when Episode 2 was released, making the UK the 3rd highest country for demand on 23rd January.
MUSO’s Discover dataset reveals consumption on over 325,000 Film and TV show titles in every country in the world. MUSO has measured over 105 billion visits to piracy websites in first 6 months of 2022. MUSO’s data is transforming the way the entertainment industry is viewing digital piracy, by turning the cost of piracy into an opportunity to generate better revenues.
To find out more about how MUSO data is being used to drive marketing, content acquisition, commissioning and licensing please contact contact the team at hello@muso.com
ABOUT MUSO
MUSO is a data company that provides the most complete and trusted view of unlicensed media consumption and global piracy demand. MUSO’s unrivalled dataset measures a vast high intent audience that is not influenced by licensing restriction or platform bias. Whether protecting IP or building winning content strategies, MUSO helps companies make better decisions that drive performance, ROI and value.