Netflix, Disney Battle Pirate Sites That Rip Off Their Content

Julius is an avid Netflix viewer. Whether it’s old movies, anime, or hit releases such as The Queen’s Gambit, the 28-year-old banker from Manila, who gives only his first name, is glued to his laptop. He just doesn’t pay for any of the content. The moment a show starts trending on Netflix’s Top 10, he catches it on an unlicensed streaming website or downloads an illegal copy from a file-sharing app. “It’s always available somewhere,” he says. “If I can save a few hundred pesos a month, I’ll take it.”

Julius and millions like him across Southeast Asia are becoming a headache for Netflix, Disney+, and Chinese streaming giants Tencent and IQiyi, which are waging an intense contest for subscribers in the region. Thousands of illegal websites streaming the latest hit shows and movies—content cribbed from legitimate services—cater to viewers from Vietnam to the Philippines, while other operators sell cheap hardware that allows access to pirated content. Shutting them down is a cat-and-mouse game made harder by governments that don’t consider the theft a high priority, according to the industry.