Battle to thwart Game of Thrones pirates

Peter Dinklage is Tyrion Lannister in Games of Thrones, which was illegally downloaded more than a million times last night. Source: AAP

ENTERTAINMENT studios are taking steps to prevent piracy by fast tracking TV shows but if last night's episode of Game of Thrones is anything to go by, it still isn't working.

Season three of the fantasy series aired last night on Foxtel,  two hours after it aired in the US.

However, the first episode of the season was illegally downloaded more than a million times last night, according to pirating website Torrent Freak.

And Australia had the highest piracy rate per capita, with nine per cent of Game of Thrones downloads heading to computers Down Under.

Per download, Australia ranked third, following the UK in second spot with 11.5 per cent and the US with 12.9 per cent.

"Never before has there been a torrent with so many people sharing a file at the same time, more than 160,000 simultaneous peers," Torrent Freak wrote on its website.

Experts say that the only way to prevent piracy from occuring is to close the delivery gap. To be fair, HBO, Foxtel and iTunes have taken steps to ensure the show is available in Australia within a reasonable timeframe. And to some extent it's working.
Game of Thrones aired on Foxtel two hours after it aired in the US, and on iTunes two days later.

Showcase's channel publicity manager, Vannessa Hollins told news.com.au that more than 224,000 people tuned in to Foxtel to watch Game of Thrones last night on its movie channel Showtime, and it was its "biggest audience ever and biggest share ever".

Brian Walsh, Foxtel executive director of television, told news.com.au that there was no doubt that subscribers embraced its express from the US strategy.

"Last night's brilliant result for Game of Thrones is a true testament to Foxtel's commitment to bringing our audience award-winning high quality drama they can watch with the rest of the world," he said.

And who don't have a Foxtel subscription can still access Game of Thrones on iTunes. Australian iTunes customers can buy a season pass for Game of Thrones in HD for $33.99 - that works out at less than $5 an episode. A standard-definition season pass costs $28.99. Once Apple customers have bought the season pass, episodes automatically download as they become available. The first episode of the show became available at 2am this morning. This is the first time Game of Thrones has been available on iTunes and Foxtel simultaneously.

The season pass for Game of Thrones became available on March 15 and since that time it has been sitting in the top spot of the TV season charts. Clearly there is demand for legal purchase of the show.

17/04/2012 FEATURES: Actor Alfie Allen in a scene from season 2 of TV series 'Game Of Thrones'. Pic Showcase. Pic. Supplied Source: Supplied

But close enough is not good enough, some experts say, claiming that two days is a long time to wait for a show that is being talked about all over the web.

Lucy O'Brien, entertainment editor of the world's largest entertainment and video game website, IGN told news.com.au that while Foxtel, iTunes and Home Box Office - the studio that owns and produces Game of Thrones - have taken steps to reduce piracy, they still don't understand the culture of their target audience.

Basically, Game of Thrones fans are nerds that refuse to wait.

"There is a massive social commentary being generated around Game of Thrones at the moment and it's exciting to be a part of," she said.

"There are few shows that hold so much appeal to both a niche nerdom and a much broader audience – we're talking brilliantly-written high fantasy here peppered with sex and violence - and these fans want to join in on the conversation as soon as it starts; with their friends, with other fans, on forums, in comment sections and on social media.

"A delay, even a 48-hour one, prevents Australians from doing that. And that's a problem."

Professor of Georgia Tech University, Ian Bogost shared Ms O'Brien's sentiments.

"Game of Thrones has: knights, dragons, wizards, wolves, zombies, pirates and ninjas," he tweeted.

"That's a m-fing pop culture hedge fund right there."

And while pirating may be rife, Game of Thrones' director Michael Lombardo doesn't seem too fussed.

Last month he admitted that piracy compliments sales rather than hurting them.

Co-director David Petrarca said at a WA university last month that the show thrives on "cultural buzz" via social media.

"That's how they survive," he said.

Petrarca said piracy could in fact help grease the wheels.

Game of Thrones extended sneak peak

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