Most-pirated show of 2013
The show claims the crown for the second year in a row as the most-pirated TV-show. With 5.9 million downloads via BitTorrent, the season finale beats top shows such as Breaking Bad and Walking Dead with an estimated 4.2 and 3.6 million downloads respectively. Many people connected to the show view the piracy record as a compliment rather than a threat, saying that free word of mouth advertising will lead to more subscriptions. Jeff Bewkes, CEO of Time Warner Cable, HBO’s parent company, comments:
Our experience is that it leads to more paying subs. I think you’re right that Game of Thrones is the most pirated show in the world. That’s better than an Emmy.