New streaming services such as Netflix may be the key to ending piracy throughout Australia, research has found.
A survey of more than 1000 participants conducted by consumer advocacy group Choice found Australians are signing up to the streaming services instead of pirating films and TV series.
The number of people regularly pirating in Australia has dropped by a quarter since the launch of Netflix, Choice found.
"This proves once again that making content affordable and easily available is the first and most effective tactic to reduce piracy - not a draconian internet filter and notice scheme," Choice campaign manager Erin Turner said in a statement on Friday.
In the past six months, legal subscription and pay-per-view has increased from 46 per cent to 59 per cent.
Ms Turner said the increase is directly related to the launch of Netflix, as well as other players including Stan and Presto, which offer Australian consumers real alternatives to piracy.
"It's clear the drop in piracy is a result of increased availability of legal streaming services in Australia," Ms Turner said.
The findings correlate with recent federal government research that found the best options for limiting piracy was to reduce the price of legal content, improve availability and eliminate release delays.
