Piracy has been big since the first introduction of streaming platforms, but the industry has never been able to stop it. Then in 2017, the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) was launched to specifically fight piracy and protect the entertainment industry. Since their launch, ACE has done quite a lot of work, like fighting and successfully taking down illegal services like Openload and Streamango last month. 

ACE then announced in late October that they’ve formed a group to combat password sharing and other forms of sharing content illegally (yes, password sharing is considered piracy and therefore illegal). This is a big deal for the upcoming streaming war, because as new services continue to pop up, people will increase their password sharing to continue watching their favorite shows. While this is a common practice among younger generations, watching a new TV show they don’t have access to is not worth the risks and the damage. 

For starters, pirating sites are operating on an illegal service meaning there are no regulations. Getting some annoying pop up ads on a computer is the very least of the problems that could cause, as there are a lot of different forms of viruses. The repercussions could include larger crimes like identity theft, and just one click on a link could give the operating company access to passwords, financial information, and personal photos. 

Watching a show on an illegal service means the viewership number isn’t counted- which is how networks often decide to renew a show. If a show’s entire audience is watching it through pirating, the network will have no concept of the true viewership numbers, and the show could be in danger of being cancelled. Then there’s the damage pirating does to the television industry. Cast and crew members put in thousands of hours to make a show, and pirating prevents them from making a paycheck.

ACE is taking on an enormous problem that’s difficult to tackle, but their work is vital for the television industry to function.