Game of Thrones Piracy is Out of Control

We’ve reported here on TG about cable show piracy, meaning fans of certain shows are getting early peaks at episodes before they officially air. Perhaps it’s a testament to the popularity of Game of Thrones that it’s now officially the most pirated show on TV.

According to Uproxx, the debut episode of this season’s Game of Thrones was illegally downloaded thirteen million times, breaking its previous record of 7.5 million illegal downloads.

As Uproxx reports, “To put that number into perspective, let’s say 13 million people paid $12 to see a movie. That film would earn $156 million in its first weekend. More people downloaded the episode than live in Cuba.”

HBO has sent out notice to pirates trying to scare them, which Forbes calls going after pirates “with nerf guns.” According to Forbes, close to half of the new season has leaked online, but on the up side, it indeed proves that the show is going like gangbusters, just please try and watch it on your regular cable service like everyone else, please?