Game Of Thrones Goes Top Secret To Avoid (More) Piracy

Game of Thrones has many bragging rights, including one HBO isn't happy about: it was the most pirated television show of 2015. The show beat out other popular series' like The Walking Dead, something due in part to a handful of episodes that leaked before airing on TV. HBO is making sure that doesn't happen again, and has decided to make the show's sixth season top secret: no press copies or screeners of any sort will be sent out.

The information comes from Entertainment Weekly, which got word from HBO's Michael Lombardo: "We're not sending out press copies this year, anywhere in the world. There will be no copies for review." This includes online screenings as well as the DVD screeners and other physical copies.

HBO went the usual route with last year's season 5, and it paid dearly for it: screeners of the first four episodes were leaked as torrents before the episodes aired, and eager fans decided they couldn't wait: millions of copies were downloaded, a trend that held strong all the way through the show's season finale.

There's an even bigger reason for protecting the show this season than piracy, though: the series is about to take a mysterious turn, heading down a plot line that passes the (very slowly published) book series and goes into unknown territory. Those who have read the books will no longer have an idea of what the season will present, making spoilers particularly painful.

SOURCE: Entertainment Weekly