HBO's hit show Game of Thrones continues to bring in new fans, with the season five finale of the fantasy drama bringing in more than 8.1 million viewers.
Despite that, it still continues to be one of the most pirated shows of all time. According to a new report by Torrentfreak, Game of Thrones is by far the most pirated show of 2015, with an estimated 14.4 million illegal downloads this year alone. That's getting close to doubling the number of downloads for the show last year, which clocked in at around 8 million.
For comparison purposes, AMC's The Walking Dead, the second most pirated show of the year, saw only an estimated 6.9 million. More than half of the 14.4 million Game of Thrones downloads came in the first week after the show's fifth season aired. The show even broke a piracy record earlier this year when 258,131 peers all shared the same Game of Thrones torrent file.
Yes, Game of Thrones still reigns supreme when it comes to being illegally downloaded. Much of Game of Thrones' popularity among pirates likely stems from HBO's premium cable status. Whereas many cable packages come with AMC, making it more widely available, viewers must pay extra for access to HBO's pantheon of big-name shows.
What other shows made the top 10? The Big Bang Theory saw more than 4 million downloads, with CW's Arrow claiming the number four spot with just under 4 million. The Flash makes the list at number five. The fact that both Arrow and Flash are on the list is curious considering both shows can be viewed for free on the CW website, but perhaps pirates don't know that? Supergirl, The Blacklist, Vikings, Suits and Mr. Robot also made this year's list.
With Game of Thrones season six officially passing the books in terms of story, expect the show to dominate 2016's most pirated list as well.
