Sep 5, 2017 - The seventh season of Game of Thrones has brought tears and joy to HBO this summer. It was the most-viewed. Private torrent trackers are at the bottom with less than one percent. Torrent: 9.12% Download: 5.59%.
As the new season of any major series kicks off, torrent traffic for episodes clogs up internet pipes around the world. This has been true of everything from True Blood to Lost, and it's no different with season seven of Game of Thrones.
Clearly the networks behind shows that are shared via BitTorrent and through other means are keen to clamp down on piracy, and anyone planning to download Game of Thrones is cautioned that HBO is actively monitoring people pirating the series, and warnings are being sent out.
Game Of Thrones Torrent
It's only a few days since the season premiere of season seven of the hit show aired on HBO, and pirated copies appeared online almost immediately. HBO is working with IP-Echelon, a company focused on providing 'data analytics and audience measurements on unauthorized distribution channels,' and TorrentFreak notes that warning emails have already been sent out.
The text of these emails reads:
We have information leading us to believe that the IP address xx.xxx.xxx.xx was used to download or share Game of Thrones without authorization.
HBO owns the copyright or exclusive rights to Game of Thrones, and the unauthorized download or distribution constitutes copyright infringement. Downloading unauthorized or unknown content is also a security risk for computers, devices, and networks.
The emails are sent to ISPs who in turn are expected to warn the customers in question. The message goes on to suggest:
We also encourage you to inform the subscriber that HBO programming can easily be watched and streamed on many devices legally by adding HBO to the subscriber’s television package.
It seems that particular torrent swarms are being targeted for monitoring, and takedown notices have also been issued for certain copies of episodes. But while HBO is actively seeking out pirates, it seems unlikely that the company's efforts will do much to stop pirated versions of the show from appearing online.
Following last week’s news that the first four episodes of Game of Thrones season five were leaked onto torrent sites on the night before the season premiere, they were subsequently downloaded millions of times. Understandable, with HBO’s drama being the most pirated show around the globe. Also unsurprising is that HBO is displeased with the leak. So displeased, in fact, that the company sent warnings to thousands of torrent users attempting to deter them from downloading the show any further.
Once the leaked episodes started spreading online, it was quickly determined that they originated from a screener DVD sent to reviewers. Most of the torrents are said to have the episodes in 480p, a significant quality downgrade from HBO’s regular broadcasts of Game of Thrones in 720p or 1080p. Obviously most of the piracy took place over BitTorrent, but HBO is also said to have been upset by a handful of people who watched the show via streams from Twitter’s Periscope.
As for BitTorrent users themselves, over the last week HBO has been sending takedown notices to users who IP addresses were used to share the files. The warnings are sent to internet service providers, who are then instructed to pass the alerts on to customers who match the IP addresses. HBO doesn’t know the identities of said pirates, meaning these warnings have no legal standing.
In the end, these warnings may scare off some users from downloading the show again, or they may prove fruitless. HBO has taken similar action before when some of its other shows have been pirated, but since Game of Thrones is the company’s biggest hit right now, they probably want to do anything they can to push users to watch it legitimately.
SOURCE Torrent Freak