Protecting shows from piracy on YouTube is an obsession for some TV networks, but Univision Communications' efforts haven't been able to thwart a booming market for its illegally uploaded content. The Spanish-language TV network is the most-pirated U.S. broadcast network on YouTube, with mostly clips of blockbuster telenovelas drawing more than twice as many views as Univision's nearest network competitor, Fox.
TubeMogul measured more than 586 million views for Univision's 10 most-pirated shows on YouTube, compared with about 289 million views for clips from the 10 most-pirated programs from Fox, the second-most-pirated broadcast network, and about 121 million for the 10 most-pirated programs from NBC, one of the more aggressive networks in policing its content. TubeMogul is an online-video-analytics company that tracks viewership and trends online.
Of the almost 600 million views for Univision shows, 347 million are from 29,498 pirated clips of the current hot novela "Cuidado con el Angel" ("Careful With the Angel").
"We regularly monitor and require YouTube to take down pirated program materials," said a Univision spokesperson. "It is YouTube's responsibility to abide by those requests. That said, it is not surprising to see the explosive popularity of Univision programming on the internet."
That high level of pirated content may be because Univision and its main program supplier, Mexican media giant Grupo Televisa, are currently battling over who should own the digital rights to Televisa's programming in the U.S. If the two media companies can't reach an agreement quickly, a U.S. judge will decide the issue in March.
Source: Laurel Wentz - Advertising Age
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