Around ¥3.2 billion ($20 million) in advertisement revenue might have been lost in the span of one month due to the illegal streaming of Japanese TV shows on YouTube, according to research by the Japan Commercial Broadcasters Association (JBA).

The study was conducted during the one month period starting in November of last year and reviewed samples of 300 accounts that had been confirmed as illegally posting recordings of commercial broadcasting programs on each of the four platforms of YouTube, Facebook, TikTok and Ｘ.

“If such content continues to be posted illegally on social media platforms, those involved in the creation will not receive fair compensation, ultimately affecting Japan’s content production capabilities,” the association said in a statement released Thursday. “We won’t be able to discover and nurture the next generation of emerging creators.”