Game of Thrones most pirated show of 2012

Salladhor Saan would approve, although HBO probably doesn’t. Game of Thrones has achieved the dubious distinction of being the most pirated TV show of the year, this according to TorrentFreak. Last year, Thrones was second on the list of most pirated shows, so they are moving up (or down, depending on how you look at it). Where is most of this downloading activity coming from? TorrentFreak has the answer:

The majority of TV-show piracy, more than 80 percent, occurs outside the US and lacking availability is the top reason why people turn to BitTorrent.

For chart leader Game of Thrones this is no different. Airing delays and HBO’s choice not to make it widely available online are two of the top reasons why so many people pirated the show.

Game of Thrones is particularly popular in Australia, where people have to wait a week longer than fans in the U.S. to view the show. Nevertheless, even in the U.S. hundreds and thousands are downloading the show for free, although many would love to pay for it if HBO offered a standalone HBO GO subscription.

Winter Is Coming: Yay? At least this proves that the popularity of the show around the world is second-to-none. Hopefully all of those who pirate are also buying the Blu-rays once they are available so that the show continues to be profitable for HBO. And maybe, by the time this show finishes its run, Hollywood will have solved the piracy problem and we will all be able to legally watch online, without having to contend with overpriced cable subscriptions or absurdly long delays (OK, probably not, but one can dream!).

• Published on 12/26/2012 at 10:35 AM CDT
• Last updated on 12/26/2012 at 10:35 AM CDT