Online piracy is on the rise and the “television” category, which includes streaming services, is the biggest target.

That’s according to the latest State of the Internet (SOTI) report from Akamai, “Pirates in the Outfield,” which found that piracy was up 16% across all categories studied.

“Each day, hundreds of millions of connections to piracy websites are recorded, proving that the public’s appetite for streaming content is only growing, and their choice of access is fluid,” the report concluded.

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Online security company Akamai looked at visits to piracy websites between January and September 2021 and found that demand for pirated television content — either directly via a browser or app, or via torrent downloads — totaled 3.7 billion unlicensed streams and downloads.

Most users accessed the pirate sites directly (61.5%), while only 28.6% searched for them.

Television was the top pirated industry by a wide margin, with 67 billion total site visits, followed by publishing at 30 billion, film at 14.5 billion, music at 10.8 billion and software, which includes video games, at 8.9 billion.

And the U.S. had the dubious distinction of being home to the most pirated countries at 13.5 billion visits to piracy websites, followed by Russia at 7.2 billion, India at 6.5 billion, China with 5.9 billion and Brazil rounding out the top five with 4.5 billion.

The report advises broadcasters and streaming services to help defend themselves by addressing “workflow issues and API-based problems since those are areas of exploitation for pirates, who often take multiple lines of attack.” ■

The U.S. broke into the global top ten with respect to average internet connection speeds in Q1, according to Akamai’s latest State of the Internet report.

The U.S. averaged 18.7 Mbps, putting it at No. 10 globally, up 22% year-on-year, and up 8.8% versus the previous quarter. In Akamai's report for Q4 2016, the U.S. averaged 17.2 Mbps, good for 14th at the time.

South Korea had the highest average connection speed in Q1, at 28.6 Mbps, followed by Norway (23.5 Mbps), Sweden (22.5 Mbps), Hong Kong (21.9 Mbps) and Switzerland (21.7 Mbps).

The global average for Q1 clocked in at 7.2 Mbps, up 15% year-on-year and 2.3% quarter-on-quarter.

Global average peak speeds hit 44.6 Mbps in Q1, up 28% YoY. Akamai said Singapore clocked in with the best average peak speed (184.5 Mbps), followed by Macao (132 Mbps), Mongolia (131.1 Mbps) Hong Kong (129.5 mbps) and South Korea 121 Mbps.

The U.S. was 16th in the peak average speed category, at 86.5 Mbps, up 28% versus the year-ago period.

Global adoption of speeds of at least 25 Mbps rose 42% to 12%. South Korea led with 40% adoption of 25 Mbps or more.

The U.S. was 10th, with 21% adoption of 25 Mbps-plus connections, up 65% YoY. Washington, D.C., held on to the top spot in the U.S. with 38% adoption in the category.

Notably, 25 Mbps down and 3 Mbps up are currently the speeds required to quality as “broadband,” in the eyes of the FCC.

On the mobile side, 32 countries/regions had an average mobile connection speed at or exceeding 10 Mbps, up from 30 in the previous quarter, Akamai said.

The U.S. averaged 10.7 Mbps for mobile, tops in its region, well down from the 26 Mbps average mobile connection speed seen in the U.K.

Average Internet connection speeds and average peak speeds rose globally as well as in the U.S. in Q3, according to Akamai’s latest State of the Internet Report.

Global average connections speeds hit 6.3 Mbps, up 2.3 % versus Q2 and up 21% on a year-over-year basis. South Korea led with an average of 26.3 Mbps, followed by Hong Kong (20.1 Mbps) and Norway (20 Mbps). The U.S. was 12th, with an average of 16.3 Mbps, up 6.8% QoQ, and 30% YoY.

Global average peak connections speeds reached 37.2 Mbps, up 3.4% QoQ, and 16%, YoY, according to Akamai. Singapore was tops, with a peak average of 162 Mbps, followed by Hong Kong (116.2 Mbps) and South Korea (114.2). The U.S., ranked 20th, averages 70.8 Mbps, up 1.6% QoQ and 23% YoY.

Akamai also found that the global adoption rate for 10 Mbps broadband rose 5.4% QoQ, while adoption of 15 Mbps and 25 Mbps increased 6.5% and 5.3%, respectively.

Average mobile connection speeds ranged from a high of 23.7 Mbps in the United Kingdom to a low of 2.2 Mbps in Venezuela. The U.S. mobile connection speed average clocked in at 7.5 Mbps. 

Though the U.S. still trails many other nations with respect to average broadband speeds, those connections are getting faster, according to Akamai’s State of the Internet Report for Q4 2015.

Per Akamai, U.S. average connection speeds in Q4 reached 14.2 Mbps, up 29% year-over-year, while average peak connections speeds hit 61.5 Mbps, up 25%. On a global basis, that put the U.S. at number 14 with respect to average connection speeds, and number 20 for average peak connection speeds.

Global average connection speeds in Q4 clocked in at 5.6 Mbps, up 8.6% from the previous quarter, and up 23% year-over-year. South Korea (26.7 Mbps) was tops among individual countries, followed by Sweden (19.1 Mbps), Norway (18.8 Mbps), and Japan (17.4 Mbps).

Global average peak connections speeds hit 32.5 Mbps in Q4, up 21% year-over-year, Akamai said. In this category, Singapore (135.7 Mbps) led the way, followed by Hong Kong (105.2 Mbps), South Korea (95.3 Mbps), Macao (83.1 Mbps) and Japan (82.9 Mbps).

On a global basis, 7.1% of unique IP addresses connected to Akamai averaged connection speeds of at least 25 Mbps, marking a 74% year-on-year increase. The FCC currently defines broadband as connections that provide at least 25 Mbps down and 3 Mbps up stream.

South Korea led all countries with 25 Mbps adoption, at 37%, followed by Sweden (23%), Norway (21%), Latvia (18%) and Japan (17%). The U.S. did not fall into the top 10 in this category, according to Akamai.

However, Washington, D.C. (Akamai counts it as a state in its quarterly reports), led the way with 25 Mbps adoption (25%), followed by Delaware (22%), Rhode Island (19%), Massachusetts (18%), Maryland (17%), Utah, New Jersey and Virginia (16%), Washington (15%) and Pennsylvania (14%).

Washington, D.C. led the U.S. with an average connection speed of 21.3 Mbps; Delaware topped all states with an average peak connection speed of 88.3 Mbps. 

Global broadband speeds experienced some ups and downs in Q3 as average connection speeds rose versus the previous period along with a small decline in average peak speeds, according to Akamai’s latest State of the Internet Report.

Akamai also found that 15% of the world is “4K ready,” the classification Akamai assigns to broadband connections that pump out at least 15 Mbps. That 4K-readiness figure, which is becoming more important as Netflix, Amazon and MVPDs look to expand their 4K streaming libraries, is up from 5.3% in Q3 2014, according to Akamai.

In Q3, global average connection speeds rose 14% year-over-year, to 5.1 Mbps, but only rose 0.2% versus the previous quarter.

South Korea (20.5 Mbps) was tops in that category, though down 19% year-on-year. Rounding out the global top 10 for average connections speeds were: Sweden (17.4Mbps); Norway (16.4 Mbps); Switzerland (16.2 Mbps); Hong Kong (15.8 Mbps); Netherlands (15.6 Mbps); Japan (15 Mbps); Finland (14.8 Mbps); Latvia (14.5 Mbps) and Czech Republic (14.5 Mbps). The United States, which placed 16th globally, produced a 12.6 Mbps average, up 9.4% from the year-ago quarter, and up 7.3% versus Q2 2015.

With respect to average peak connection speeds, the world averaged 32.2 Mbps in Q3 2015s, down 0.9% versus Q2 2015, but rose 30% year-over-year.

Singapore, with a peak average of 135.4 Mbps, led the way, followed by Hong Kong (101.1 Mbps); South Korea (86.6 Mbps); Japan (78.4 Mbps); Taiwan (77.9 Mbps); Qatar (75.2 Mbps); Macao (73.7 Mbps); Romania (72.9 Mbps); Israel (70 Mbps); and Sweden (69 Mbps). The U.S. was 21st globally, with a peak average in Q3 2015 of 57.3 Mbps, up 18% year-over-year, and up 14% quarter over quarter.

Akamai also tracks adoption by speed levels, including 25 Mbps, the FCC’s current downstream benchmark for what's considered “broadband.”

Globally, 5.2% of unique IP addresses connected to Akamai at average connection speeds of at least 25 Mbps, up 6.3% versus the previous quarter, led by South Korea (24%), Sweden (19%) and Norway (16%).

The U.S. was not in the top 10 in the 25 Mbps category, but Washington,  D.C., was tops in the nation, with 22% of connections providing average speeds of at least 25 Mbps in Q3 2015, followed by Delaware (17%), Utah (14%) and Massachusetts (13%.)

Akamai also continued to track adoption of IPv6, a more massive IP addressing scheme that enters play as the pool of IPv4 addresses runs dry and amid the growth of the so-called Internet of Things.

Average broadband speeds in the U.S. reached 11.9 Mbps in the first quarter of 2015, a 13% year-on-year increase (and 7.4% on a quarter-over-quarter basis), according to Akamai’s latest State of the Internet Report.

Despite that healthy jump, that placed the U.S. in 19th among other countries. South Korea led all nations with an average of 23.6 Mbps, followed by Ireland (17.4 Mbps); Hong Kong (16.7 Mbps); Sweden (15.8 Mbps); Netherlands (15.3 Mbps); Japan (15.2 Mbps); Switzerland (14.9%), Norway (14.1 Mbps); Latvia (13.8 Mbps) and Finland (13.7 Mbps).

On a global basis, average connection speeds rose 10%, to 5 Mbps.

When it came to average peak connection speed, Akamai said the U.S. came in at 53.3 Mbps, up 31% year-over-year and 7.9% quarter-over-quarter, ranking it 22nd. In that category, Singapore led with a peak average of 98.5 Mbps, followed by Hong Kong (92.6 Mbps); South Korea (79 Mbps); Kuwait (76.5 Mbps); and Romania (71.6 Mbps).

Starting with this report, Akamai started to track Internet adoption of 25 Mbps, fitting the FCC’s new benchmark definition of broadband: 25 Mbps down by 3 Mbps upstream.

In the U.S. Washington, D.C., was tops, with 18% of its unique IP addresses connecting to Akamai at average speeds of at least 25 Mbps, followed by Delaware (15%).

“Adoption rates for 25 Mbps broadband are still fairly low nationwide, with 46 states seeing levels below 10%,” Akamai’s report said, noting that Ohio ranked last among U.S. states, with its 1.4% adoption rate. Hawaii, Kentucky, and Alaska all had adoption rates below 2% in the first quarter as well. Seventeen states had adoption levels below 5%.

Among other countries, adoption of 25 Mbps speeds or greater reached 31% in South Korea, followed by Hong Kong (17%); Sweden (15%); and Japan (13%), according to Akamai.

Global average Internet speeds were relatively unchanged in the fourth quarter of 2014, rising just 0.7%, to 4.5 Mbps, according to Akamai’s latest State of the Internet Report.  

The world fared better with respect to average peak connection speeds, which jumped 8.4%, to 29.9 Mbps, from the year-ago quarter, Akamai said.

South Korea held crown with an average connection speed of 22.2 Mbps, up 1.6% year-on-year, followed by Hong Kong (16.8 Mbps), Japan (15.2 Mbps), Sweden (14.6%). 

U.S. speeds averaged 11.1 Mbps in the fourth quarter of 2014, up 15% from the year-ago quarter, putting it in 16th place worldwide. Canada averaged 10.7 Mbps, for a global ranking of 20th.

With respect to global average peak connection speeds, Hong Kong was tops, with 87.7 Mbps, up 29% year-on-year, ahead of Singapore (84 Mbps), South Korea (75.4 Mbps), and Japan (59 Mbps). The U.S. ranked 22th on the list, with an average peak connection speed of 49.4 Mbps, while Canada ranked 27th, with a 46.3 Mbps average peak connection speed.

Broadband speeds have again become a regulatory focus in the U.S. following the FCC’s vote in January to raise the definition of “broadband” from 4 Mbps down by 1 Mbps upstream, to 25 Mbps/3 Mbps.

Using 4 Mbps as the benchmark, broadband adoption was highest in Bulgaria (96%), edging out South Korea (95%), Switzerland (93%), Israel and Denmark (92%), and the Netherlands and Hong Kong (91%).  On that same scale, Canada (85%) was ranked 18th, and the U.S. (74%) was ranked 40th.

The report also took another stab at global “4K readiness,” which Akamai defines as 15 Mbps or more  using content that is encoded with H.264/MPEG4-AVC as the baseline. Akamai acknowledges that the bit rate threshold for 4K streaming will come down with the help of more efficient codecs such as HEVC and VP9.

About 12% of unique IP addresses connecting to Akamai globally in Q4 2014 had an average connection speed of 15 Mbps or more, up just 0.6% from Q3. Roughly 18% of U.S. connections were considered 4K-ready in Q4, up 39% from a year ago, compared to 16% in Canada, up 78%.

When viewed through Akamai’s lens, Delaware was the most 4K-ready state, with 38% of connections providing 15 Mbps or more, followed by Rhode Island and Massachusetts (30% each), Virginia (28%), Washington, D.C.,  and Washington state (27% each).