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While it’s always good to hear your country is doing well, this is not something we should be proud of winning; Game Of Thrones, the most pirated, illegally downloaded show in the world, is being downloaded by UK pirates more than it is anywhere else in the world.
Despite the fact Sky Atlantic planned to air the Season 5 premiere episode a mere 19 hours (that’s less than a day) after HBO first aired it in the US, UK pirates swarmed to download the first four episodes of the series (which found their way online after review copies were sent out to journalists); and made up an astonishing 9.8 percent of all downloads (with 3.3 percent coming from London alone).
US users came second (totalling 9.1% of all downloads), with India rocking into 3rd place (with 7.8%), and both China and Canada claiming 5.4% of all downloads.
The downloads also came in at an astonishing rate (with 100,000 file requests noted in the first three hours they became available), despite the fact Game Of Thrones premieres in 170 countries at the same time, the following evening in the UK, and that the leaked copies were only available in standard definition.
HBO released a statement at the weekend confirming the leak had likely originated from a copy sent to a trusted trade source, and efforts are being made to find out exactly where it came from.
Game Of Thrones Season 5: Episode 2 will air legally on HBO on Sunday at 9pm in the US, and on Sky Atlantic next Monday night in the UK.
Matt Wheeldon – @TheMattWheeldon.
Source: Wired.
