Sunday night, April 12, marks the Season 5 premiere of the HBO fantasy drama Game of Thrones -- but there is another means of watching. The first four of the season's 10 new episodes have been leaked online just hours before the live premiere.
"Sadly, it seems the leaked four episodes of the upcoming season of Game of Thrones originated from within a group approved by HBO to receive them," HBO said, according to The New York Times. "We're actively assessing how this breach occurred."
With more than 9 million illegal downloads, Game of Thrones was the most-pirated TV series for three consecutive years, next to The Walking Dead and The Big Bang Theory, noted Torrent Freak. Already the leaked episodes have more than 100,000 downloads and views.
Typically, television critics will be given access to the first four episodes of an HBO series prior to airing, which raises suspicion. There is no conclusive evidence that ties the leak to screener copies of the hit show.
In the midst of scheming families, drunken dwarves and the fight for the Westeros throne, the latest season is said to stray from the George R.R. Martin novels, mixing up which characters stay alive, meet the Grim Reaper and come into contact with one another.
HBO has teamed up with Apple for a Time Warner-owned cable network titled HBO Now. Only available in the United States, HBO Now will be available for $15 a month and compete with Netflix as another useful source of streaming.
The search for Drogon and the journey to Dorne will officially begin as Season 5 of Game of Thrones premieres at 9 p.m. April 12.
Readers: What do you make of the situation? Are you a loyal viewer? Did you watch the pirated copies? what did you think of them? Let us know down in the comments section.
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