The cashed-up commercial TV sector is the loudest voice in the room when it comes to complaining about piracy. To the government. To internet service providers. And to their audience.

But on the weekend it was the humble national broadcaster, our dear old Aunty, that took the fight to the pirates and won.

The new Dr Who episode set a record for the ABC's iView platform.

The ABC's decision to launch the new series of Doctor Who via its iView online platform a week before airing it on TV has paid dividends.

Almost 80,000 diehard Doctor Who fans pounced and watched the episode, titled Asylum of the Daleks, on Sunday. That is a record for the iView site, clocking the most plays by one program in a 24-hour period since its launch.