Game of Thrones Season 5 might only have just kicked off, but the latest instalment of the HBO epic is already breaking piracy records.
Despite the American broadcaster’s best efforts to stem dodgy GoT-themed downloads, some 32 million people accessed pirated episodes of the fifth series within a week of the first episode airing, according to new figures released by media intelligence firm Tru Optik (via TorrentFreak).
The show’s pirated success echoes its billing as the biggest show currently on TV, having smashed broadcasting ratings records in the US this month.
It should be noted that these piracy figures have been bolstered by the fact that the show’s first four episodes leaked online ahead of launch alongside an accompanying ‘A Day in the Life’ documentary.
It is believed that the season’s opening episode has already been downloaded some 13 million times through torrent sites, including 1 million times in the US alone.
The UK ranked sixth on the Game of Thrones piracy charts – a chart led by our American cousins – accounting for 4.7 per cent of illegal downloads.
Of those gaining illegal access to the dragon-packing series, 43.5 per cent opted for a 720p HD feed.
It appears that pirates aren’t too fussed about image quality, however, with 35.1 per cent of downloads recorded at a lowly 480p resolution compared with just 21.4 per cent at 1080p Full HD.
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“Many of these viewers are prime prospects for unbundled services like HBO Now.”
Related: Game of Thrones – Episode One game review
HBO Now landed as a subscription-based on-demand catch-up service earlier this month, with the Sky Go and BBC iPlayer stablemate launching to coincide with the latest Game of Thrones series.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
