I'd be curious how many people pirate TV in order to skip the ads vs how many people pirate because they don't have access to the show, don't like the limited time they're able to see the show, or don't want to pay money to subscribe to the network. Seems like ads would be pretty far down the list of reasons to pirate.
I've downloaded shows before. I mostly do it for control. I don't want to have to show up at exactly 9pm to watch something; I want to be able to watch it around 7 the next day, while I'm doing dishes, then continue watching it at my desk while I'm clearing out my email, or while doing something else.
I could get a DVR, but I can't drag a DVR with me around the house as I'm doing chores.