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Game of Thrones tops most pirated shows of 2015

GoT becomes the most downloaded show for the fourth year in a row.

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Game of Thrones was easily the most-pirated show of 2015 according to website TorrentFreak.

At 14.4m downloads it becomes the most downloaded show for the fourth year in a row, well ahead of The Walking Dead in second place.

More than half of the downloads occurred in the first week after the finale aired.

1. Game of Thrones – 14.4 million
2. The Walking Dead – 6.9 million
3. The Big Bang Theory – 4.4 million
4. Arrow – 3.9 million
5. The Flash – 3.6 million
6. Mr. Robot – 3.5 million
7. Vikings – 3.3 million
8. Supergirl – 3 million
9. The Blacklist – 2.9 million
10. Suits – 2.6 million

According to the site there is no sign that TV piracy is declining. The download numbers for the most popular shows continues to rise, sometimes exceeding the number of traditional viewers in the US. Online streaming and downloads for file-hosting services are not included since there are no public sources to draw data from. Total piracy numbers will therefore be significantly higher.

Game of Thrones, which was fast-tracked same day in Australia, returns in April.

18 Responses

  1. One of the reasons that Game of Thrones is the most pirated show is that the producers want it to be. They have repeatedly used the pirating numbers as evidence of its cult status in marketing, and at the beginning of the last season wilfully fuelled the fire by releasing five episodes for publicity previews. They did this knowing full well that all five episodes would be pirated… then rushed to point out the fact with a great deal of mock outrage. The media dutifully reported this, never stopping to ask why a show in its fifth season – already the biggest cult TV show with an avalanche of publicity behind it – should need to release five preview episodes. The answer is that one pirated episode would not have been a news story, but five was. It really is time the media caught up with the various ways producers now cynically use pirating, all the while protesting about it. Don’t…

  2. Are these figures for U.S. audiences?. It’s notable that some producers are using the services of illegal torrents to trial pilots for new season shows. Like the viewer cultural change initiated by the VCR and later the more sophisticated DVR, the entertainment world will have to adapt to the changes posed by the technological times. Threatening the wealth of consumers is not getting to the heart of the matter which is the growing acceptance of a popular technology that’s freely and easily available, like the VCR the use of streaming is a game changer however you look at it.

  3. I signed up just to say this, y on earth did u choose a spoiler as a thumb nail? I know it aired but u wouldn’t ruin starwars like this. No other site would do this. It’s a low thing to do. I’ve seen the show I’m fine but a lot are behind or waiting for the boxset to release.
    Rant over, sorry if that sounded to harsh

    1. Actually countless sites across the web have used this photo. Go to Google and type in “Jon Snow Dead” and you will find all the leading entertainment sites, plus news sites, have debated his fate. The photo is there because the piracy was rampant on the final episode. 8 months later and it’s still a spoiler? Wake up.

      1. Really ur telling me to wake up, isn’t that nice from the owner of this site. 🙂
        Yeah but they don’t have the death picture on the front page. If they have I haven’t seen it.
        It’s been 6mths and the boxsets aren’t out yet. A lot of people wait for the boxset instead of paying Foxtel or iTunes or like this story says pirate.
        Once The next season is out spoil away. U can even spoil in articles just not the front page. Makes this site seem less professional. To me any way

        1. Yes, tired of being told I am Spoiling based on incorrect info. Entertainment sites across the globe have used the photo, including on their front pages, but in December I’m supposedly spoiling a storyline that is months old. This is absurd. Viewers expecting media to wait for every individual to view content do need a wake up.

          1. Well they shouldn’t be, and like I said haven’t seen it anywhere else.
            Show finished in June and like I said boxset isn’t out which a lot in Australia are waiting for. It’s just being professional that is all.
            Yeah can spoil away just not front page. Until next season has started. That is what is viewed as normal waiting time. I don’t want anybody spoiled on this amazing show. Front page is unacceptable.

          2. Boxset is a DVD. I’m not writing a DVD blog. Thank you for your advice on how I should and shouldn’t publish. Now you know the site policy you can adjust your use going forward. Thanks.

          3. Let me tell u a story. Ages ago I was on a forum on gamespot and I was asking a question about a game that was 3 years old and I titled it with a spoiler, I got warned and later banned. I’ve only been banned from two sites in my life

        2. OMG waswas, are you kidding?!?!

          “Spoilers”? Really? What rock have you been hiding under? There is no such thing as a spoiler once a show has aired, either on FTA or Pay, this is because people **will** talk about it. That’s human nature. Just because you (and I) choose to wait for the DVDs does not mean we have the right to act all huffy if someone talks to us about the show in the meantime. My goodness, son, check your privilege 😉

          PS, David is 100% correct about the use of that photo. Shockingly enough…

          1. I’ve seen every ep.
            Well that’s the same as starwars being up for 2 weeks and telling everybody spoilers. Just because its aired doesn’t mean u can spoil it. I’m sorry if u liked shows spoiled because I don’t.
            Yeah people will talk about it but that’s not my issue. Nobody starts a conversation with Jon snow is dead.
            It just shouldn’t be front page it’s up to the site to not show that.
            Reading on a site is different then people talking to u about it

          2. Wawasjohn92 your point has been made and responded to. A reminder that reiterating the same points adds nothing to the conversation, please see comments policy. Moving on now, thanks.

    2. This isn’t a spoiler in any measure, a similar shot to this is even being used in the promos by HBO. Other sites do indeed use this shot – previously.tv and Entertainment Weekly (2 of the biggest TV sites in the world) come to mind and they just ones that I read. Even people who don’t watch GOT know that Jon Snow ‘died’, it was massive news at the time. Star Wars has only been out for a week and is still on in the theatres, it’s in no way comparable. I hate spoilers but this isn’t one.

      1. What showing the biggest show in the world with a main character dead isn’t a spoiler? Especially when it was the last Ep to air and not everybody has seen it. For me it was click bait.
        Yeah I’m not happy with hbo about that. Still doesn’t show His dead just injured and that’s quite easy to avoid. Unlike front page of a site I visit daily.
        But they don’t use it on front page.
        No I know a lot of people who haven’t finished or started GoT, who don’t know his dead. Even tho it was massive news it wasn’t on front page.
        Star Wars everyone can see it now, GoT only if u over pay for Foxtel or iTunes have u seen it. For me u shouldnt spoil stuff until the next instalment comes out. Better to be safe then sorry. I don’t want anybody to be spoiled of this amazing show.

          1. How it flawed? Still doesn’t make it right

            Star Wars and GoT are both massive and GoT banks on its twist way more then starwars. All it does is make viewers not visit this site. Fans trust these sites not to spoil shows. And I’m sorry Uve broken this trust a few times now. Respect should be showed to ur readers after all we made ur site big

        1. Yes, showing a character ‘dead’ after 8 months is not a spoiler. If others aren’t up to date that’s the risk they take, I wasn’t when Joffrey died so knew in advance but that’s my fault. You mustn’t read many entertainment or general news sites because loads of them used that photo at the time and since then because of the ‘is he really dead’ debate. By the time you have seen them they may not have been ‘on the front page’ because that’s how a site works, the newest articles appear there. Every single person’s viewing habits can’t be catered for, that’s a totally unreasonable expectation. You also need to look up what ‘clickbait’ means.

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