Representatives of the Brazilian government and the film sector will discuss in a panel during Sao Paulo’s motion picture convention Expocine the challenges and strategies to curb the digital piracy of films and TV shows in Brazil.
The panel, Cutting the Signal: the Silent War against Digital Piracy, will gather officials of Brazil’s National Cinema Agency (Ancine) and National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel), as well as Andressa Pappas, general director of the Motion Picture Association (MPA) in Brazil and Jack Silva, president of Brazilian Association of Small and Average Sized Exhibitors (Aexib).
According to Pappas, piracy inflicts significant economic harm on the film and TV industry in Brazil, disrupting the revenues that sustain content creation and the jobs it supports. Brazil’s National Forum Against Piracy and Illegality (FNCP) estimated that the financial impact of piracy on the Brazilian economy is approximately R$287 billion ($52.1 billion).
A 2021 study by the Brazilian Association of Pay TV (ABTA) reported an estimated loss of R$15.5 billion (US$ 2.8 billion) annually from the consumption of pirated content in the pay TV sector alone, Pappas added.
Like in other countries, she said, piracy in Brazil takes multiple forms, including illegal streaming services, unauthorized IPTV platforms, torrent sites and apps. These services are delivered through a variety of channels – such as illicit websites, preloaded streaming devices, and unauthorized applications – that make infringing content widely accessible to consumers.
She cited a 2021 research that showed Brazil was the fifth largest consumer of pirated content, behind the U.S., Russia, India and China. She also mentioned a 2024 study that pointed out that 61% of Brazilians said they have visited piracy sites.
Anatel and Ancine inked in May an agreement to cooperate in the effort to reduce film and TV piracy. Since then, Ancine is responsible for blocking websites and apps that distribute pirated content, while Anatel is in charge of assuring that telecom companies prevent their customers from accessing the content.
“Tackling piracy requires not only the dedicated efforts of rights holders, but also close cooperation with law enforcement agencies and government authorities. In this regard, Brazil stands out as a leading example, demonstrating exemplary coordination between rights holders, public administration and investigative bodies to achieve impactful results,” Pappas told Variety.
As for Silva, he preferred to wait and see if the Ancine-Anatel cooperation will effectively curb film piracy in the country.
“We have so far not seen concrete actions resulting from this agreement. Blocking websites will not resolve the problem. It’s necessary to go after the people who openly advertise on social media. Check the Facebook and Instagram, and you will find the names and phone numbers of people offering TV boxes and apps with films that are currently screening in our theaters,” Silva told Variety.
He said films usually become available online right after their releases on streaming platforms. In the case of “Jurassic World Rebirth,” released in the U.S. on July 2 and in Brazil on July 3, it was available online here on Aug. 6 with 4K resolution and caption in Portuguese.
“In YouTube, you can easily find videos explaining how to download pirated content and evaluating the best apps with pirated films and series. I don’t see any repression,” Silva said.
