UK creative industries will fade into insignificance in five years unless the government rapidly steps up its anti-piracy efforts, a leading trade body warned today. In a survey of more than 30 directors of TV and film companies, the Industry Trust found that 94% believe the damage cannot be repaired without stronger support from government and more action from internet service providers, who have been accused by some critics of failing to act against web users who illegally download audio and video files.

The trust’s director general, Liz Bales, said that although the film industry is not suffering as much as the music sector, the proportion of illegal film and TV content distributed globally online is heading towards 90% of the total, as experienced by the music industry. In 2007, 95m films were downloaded illegally in the UK, compared with just 158,000 legally, according to the trust.

Commissioned by the UK Film Council, the trust’s survey also found that 91% think the industry needs help encouraging consumers to use legal online content services, while 60% think ISPs need to play a bigger role in supporting legal content initiatives.

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