THE MOST OBVIOUS NEWS STORY ON EARTH

This will be short, I promise.

It's not to gloat, but simply for the general edification of all of us.

There is an important data set around the world, which is not really making global headlines. I don't know why this hasn't made the mainstream news, beyond (insert pessimistic conspiracy theory here), but there is a data trend you should be very aware of.

It, literally, tears a hole through pessimistic prognostications of the future of the arts and screen content creation.

So, here it is.

By 2013, BitTorrent traffic on the US internet had dropped to 9.2 per cent of peak-period traffic, down from 11.3 per cent in 2012 and 17.2 per cent in 2011.

That's an almost 10% drop in two years.

The drop was directly correlated to the growth of subscription video streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and HBOGo in the U.S.

By 2015, Netflix accounted for 36.5% of peak internet bandwidth usage in America. BitTorrent, simultaneously, is down to 6.3% of total traffic in North America.

That's a higher than 10% drop in four years. All since legal and affordable options to access film and television content became available in the U.S.

Meanwhile, in Australia, internet piracy has dropped by as much as 25% since legal options like Netflix, Presto and Stan have arrived in 2015.

There is very little spin for me to put on these kind of numbers.

And, beyond the demonising of people who simply want access to films and television shows on their own terms, there is a very obvious picture that arises.

People want content.

They want it now.

If you make it hard for them to get it, they will pirate it instead.

If you make it convenient and reasonably priced, they will pay for it.

There is so much politics involved in the piracy debate, except this simple truth.

But the data doesn't lie.

If you build it they will come. If not, they will steal.

Now that you know that, now that the data is in, who's fault is if people continue to pirate content?

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