Image: HBO
While the seventh season of “Game of Thrones” saw an all-time high of 9 million to 12 million viewers per episode based on Nielsen reports, illegal viewings count audiences to be much higher.
According to a report from The Independent, MUSOC, a technology company that monitors piracy data, found that illegal streaming and downloads of the show’s seven episodes amassed a figure of 1,029,787,668. Needless to say, it outnumbers legal viewings of the show.
The company followed piracy activity from the season premiere up to September 3.
The firm found out that streaming was disproportionately higher than downloads. Pirate streams comprised 85 percent of views, while torrents and downloads accounted for 9.12 percent and 5.59 percent, respectively.
The first episode, “Dragonstone”, had the highest illegal views at 187,427,575; within the first 72 hours, it had been streamed and downloaded over 90 million times.
The finale, “The Dragon and the Wolf”, was viewed 143,393,804 times; the first 72 hours saw it pirated 120 million times.
After “Dragonstone”, the sixth episode of the season, “Beyond the Wall”, was the second most-pirated with 184,913,279. This could be attributed to a leak of the episode from HBO España and HBO Nordic.
While HBO has been plagued with leaks, piracy is another challenge the network is struggling with.
Rather than see it as a threat, MUSO CEO and co-founder Andy Chatterley told The Independent, “It’s time to acknowledge this audience; we should view this as an opportunity to understand the bigger picture.” Niña V. Guno/JB
RELATED STORIES:
HBO strictly monitoring ‘Game of Thrones’ online pirates
‘Game of Thrones’ leaked episode earns show’s highest ratings