Game of Thrones season 5 breaks piracy record with 32m illegal downloads

The season five premiere alone was pirated a massive 13 million times

It is known for being the most pirated TV show in the world and now, fantasy drama Game of Thrones has reached a record high with illegal downloads.

The first four new episodes leaked earlier this month, leading to more than 32 million illegal downloads in just one week. The source of the leak remains unknown publicly.

Season five premiere “The Wars to Come” was pirated a massive 13 million times, more than ever before in the series, including the season four premiere and finale combined.

Ten per cent of these downloads came from within the US, with data analyst Tru Optik estimating that $44 million was lost in US revenue from this first episode alone. France, Brazil, China, Russia, the UK, India, Canada, Australia and Spain have also been pirating the series the most.

Fortunately, legal viewership of Game of Thrones has also peaked, with the season five premiere attracting a record 8 million viewers on HBO.

The US network took steps to battle piracy ahead of the new season, by simulcasting it in 170 countries around the world, now including Sky Atlantic. HBO’s first stand-alone streaming service HBO Now was also introduced for $14.99 per month with a 30-day free trial, but is only available for Apple users.