Game of Thrones is taking the Iron Throne as the most pirated show of 2017.
The seventh season of the hit HBO show reached records, including most-watched season thus far, but it also earned a less crown-worthy title: the most pirated show of 2017, Torrent Freak reports.
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During a season that was filled with leaks and hacks, piracy proved to be its biggest battle, with 400,000 people sharing the season finale across several torrents shortly after it aired. It’s ranking as most-torrented show marks it earning the title for the sixth year in a row.
Game of Thrones wasn’t the only popular show that pirates targeted. AMC’s The Walking Dead fell into second place, while The CW’s The Flash rounded out the top three. CBS’ The Big Bang Theory and Cartoon Network’s Rick and Morty topped off the top five most-pirated shows of the year.
The hit show’s ranking follows in the wake of HBO’s attempts to lessen pirated episodes, the streaming network having announced in June that it wouldn’t be sending out screeners of Game of Thrones. But that did little to stop hackers from leaking scripts, full episodes, and even executive emails, giving away key plot points, casting reveals, and marketing materials. Federal authorities caught and charged one of the hackers, Behzad Mesri.
Season 8 of Game of Thrones is expected to premiere in 2019.
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