The entertainment industry has largely pivoted from suing downloaders (a failed strategy from the 2000s) to Thus, we see regional pricing for Spotify (India: $1.99/month), YouTube Premium (Turkey: $0.70/month), and mobile-only Netflix plans.
For this demographic, owning the file is superior to renting the stream. A downloaded movie can be shared via Bluetooth to a friend's phone (a practice known as "sneakernet" piracy). It can be played on a feature phone. It can be stored on a microSD card passed around a village.
For content creators, the message is clear: Stop fighting the download. Embrace the offline-first user. Release smaller file sizes. Offer lifetime downloads with purchase. Use regional pricing that matches regional wages.
In the Philippines, raids on DVD bootleggers are frequent, yet enforcement against individual downloaders is zero. In Brazil, downloading movies for personal use is technically legal (the law only criminalizes distribution for profit). In India, the "Cinematograph Act" is strict, but judicial backlogs make prosecution impossible.