Game of Thrones is back – and don’t we know all about it.
As if the Internet wasn’t foreboding enough with the imminent threat of Avengers: Endgame spoilers, HBO’s crown jewel has reclaimed its rightful spot at the forefront of television, seeding a tidal wave of carefully constructed theories and potential spoilers about the Night King and his murky origins.
All told, it’s not too much of a stretch to say that Game of Thrones mania has swept the nation – nay, the world – and analytics firm MUSO (h/t Engadget) has the data to prove it. As a matter of fact, in its first 24 hours of release, Thrones‘ season 8 opener “Winterfell” was pirated 55 million times, prompting this statement from MUSO boss Andy Chatterley:
Regardless of rationale, the piracy figures for just the first 24 hours since the episode aired demonstrate that these audiences cannot, and should not, be ignored. Despite considerable global efforts to tackle piracy over the past couple of years, this data shows that consumers are still being driven to unlicensed sources to find content. It’s imperative that rights holders understand that piracy audiences are some of their most dedicated fans, which, above all else, presents a vast commercial opportunity.
So while we’re just one episode into this six-part finale, Game of Thrones is still far and away the most pirated TV series on the planet. Few shows boast the same impassioned fanbase as Thrones, and while HBO continues to combat piracy in the hope of redirecting some of that traffic towards its premium Now service, this latest data only drives home the point that Game of Thrones is currently the biggest TV show on air, and that hype and excitement will only build and build as we approach the grand finale.
There will still be more stories in the future, but for now, HBO’s Song of Ice and Fire has entered its own endgame. And the tension is palpable.