‘WandaVision’ Was 2021’s Most Pirated TV Show on Torrent Networks

Even in a world of ubiquitous and relatively inexpensive streaming services, there is a group of free riders who want to get something for nothing.

"WandaVision, ”Marvel's first television series for Disney Plus starring Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff and Paul Bettany as Vision, was the number one most pirated show of the year on torrent networks, according to hacking news site TorrentFreak.

Four other Marvel shows were also in the top 10 - "Loki"(No. 2)," The Falcon and the Winter Soldier "(No. 4)," Hawkeye "(No. 5) and" What if ...? (No. 6) - in the piracy classification. Netflix's "The WizardIt was ranked No. 3, as season 2 of the popular fantasy series debuted on December 17.

But there is one important caveat with the TorrentFreak report: Streaming sites, not torrent downloads, account for "the overwhelming majority" of piracy on the internet, according to Muso, a UK-based piracy monitoring company. During the first half of 2021, 94% of hacking activity was on streaming sites, "indicating the decline in torrent sites as a way to consume stolen content," according to a report from Muso. In its report, TorrentFreak acknowledged: "It is worth noting that BitTorrent traffic only constitutes a small part of the piracy landscape."

Another problem is that TorrentFreak's rating is based on individual episodes; that means entire seasons that are compressed into one file are underrepresented in the list. The news site said that based on "rough calculations," Netflix's "Casa de Papel" could have reached number 5 on the list with a more precise methodology, while "Squid Game": Surprise Worldwide Smash of the Year for Streamers - would also have made the top 10.

So for what it's worth, here is the list of the 10 most pirated TV shows as measured by TorrentFreak:

Most Downloaded TV Shows via Torrent Piracy Networks, 2021

1. "WandaVision" (Disney Plus)
2. "Loki" (Disney Plus)
3. "The Witcher" (Netflix)
4. "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" (Disney Plus)
5. "Hawkeye" (Disney Plus)
6. "What if…?" (Disney Plus)
7. "Foundation" (Apple TV Plus)
8. "Rick and Morty" (Adult Swim / Hulu / HBO Max)
9. "Arcane" (Netflix)
10. “Wheel of Time” (Amazon Prime Video)

Source: TorrentFreak