Media piracy and research

Media researchers are already having troubles measuring the viewership of television programs. From the first-run broadcasting time slot, to post-viewership via DVR, as well as online availability, it can be difficult to find out what viewership actually is. However, an article at MediaTel looks at another key to the puzzle - piracy of the media content.

Measuring the viewership can be difficult. The amount of pirated media is difficult to measure, as is the numbers of users viewing media this way. This article takes a different spin and examines why many individuals pirate media content. The biggest reasons were for lack of control. Lack of control over availability, distribution and usage rights. Many times viewers in Europe don't want to wait for a program that is already available in the US.

If companies producing media take these three situations and examine them, can something be done to help better measure the actual content use?