You know that old saying that goes “If you build it, they will come“? Turns out that if you give Australians legal access to TV shows, they’ll stop pirating the shit out of them.

Consumer group CHOICE has released the findings of a survey today, with the claim that internet piracy in Australia has dropped by as much as 25 percent since the streaming revolution took over the country – with Netflix and rivals Stan and Presto setting up shop.

The survey took in over 1000 consumers and looked at the period stretching from July 2nd through till July 15th. They found that the percentage of people surveyed that have subscriptions to streaming services has also jumped by 13%, up to 59% from when the first survey on the issue was taken in November of 2014.

CHOICE campaigns manager Erin Turner noted the drop in piracy and labelled it as a result of increased choice and availability for Australian consumers.

“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.”

“The increase is directly related to the launch of Netflix in Australia and the emergence of a local streaming industry, with players such as Stan and Presto competing for customers and offering consumers real alternatives to piracy.” “Unlawful downloading comes down to availability, timeliness and affordability.”

Or, to put it another way:

Photo: Pascal Le Segretain via Getty Images.

via NT News.