HiAnime, the Biggest Bootleg Anime Site, Is Reportedly Dead
The shutdown of the dominant pirate site removes the single biggest source of illegal anime streaming in the US, though the broader piracy ecosystem remains intact.
Reporting from 1 sources: Anime By The Numbers.
HiAnime, the largest bootleg anime streaming platform in the English-speaking world, is reportedly dead. The site accounted for roughly 15% of all anime piracy in the US, with about 4 million monthly US users and a global total near 14 million, according to White Box analysis. Most of its content was ripped from official subtitles, not fan-made.
HiAnime, the largest bootleg anime streaming site on the English-speaking internet, is reportedly dead. The site drew about 4 million monthly users in the US alone, representing roughly 15% of all anime piracy in the country, according to data from White Box. Globally, the figure was closer to 14 million, with US users making up 30% of traffic. Unlike the fansub sites of earlier eras, HiAnime was a for-profit operation that made its operators significant money through ad revenue. Most of its subtitles-over 90%-were not fan-made but ripped from official sources. The most popular titles on the site were generally the same broadly available series on legal platforms; unlicensed or region-locked content accounted for less than 1% of US viewership. A slight majority of HiAnime users also used legitimate streaming services, often turning to the pirate site to fill gaps in their subscriptions.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.
Sources
- Anime By The Numbers What You Should Know About HiAnime’s Death