About half of all Nollywood movies are pirated, says a representative from online streaming service Nigerian movie service iROKOtv.com.

Lanre Akinlagun, iROKO Partners head of marketing and analytics, told the Mobile Entertainment Africa conference in Cape Town, South Africa, that 50% of Nollywood movies are pirated; costing the industry, government and actors millions of dollars.

A lack of respect for copyright and intellectual property are issues sparking off film piracy Akinlagun added.

“Too many Nigerians don’t want to pay for Nollywood content – but they want Nollywood movies on tap,” he said.

Akinlagun urged a more concerted effort to fight piracy and an improved distribution model.

iROKOtv earlier this year experienced its own problems with alleged piracy when it reportedly sued the makers of a mobile phone application Afrinolly for copyright infringement.

Afrinolly, a mobile phone app that showcases Nollywood films, was reportedly asked by iROKOtv to pay N100 million in compensation for ‘using’ its videos without permission.

iROKOtv, which showcases up to 5,000 Nigerian and Ghanaian-made films, has shot to fame this year for hitting 500,000 subscribers in six months, according to its developers.