While Game of Thrones’ third season finale drew the biggest audience for a finale in series history, it was also the most pirated single episode.
The episode, titled “Mhysa,” drew 5.4 million viewers for its first airing, reports Entertainment Weekly. After multiple airings Sunday night, the episode reached 6.3 million viewers, up 28 percent over season two’s finale. While it was shy of the 5.5 million viewer record for the show, the first airing at 10 p.m. did have competition from the NBC Finals and the Tony Awards.
Even though a record number of viewers enjoyed it legally, a record number also enjoyed it illegally. TorrentFreak, which tracks online piracy, reports that thousands rushed to share a file of the episode moments after it aired. According to the site, 171,572 people were sharing a single file of the show simultaneously, breaking the previous record set by the season three premiere. Within 24 hours, it had reached 1 million downloads.
Piracy is a major concern when it comes to Game of Thrones, which TorrentFreak called the most pirated show of 2012. Viewers, especially outside of the U.S., are itching to see the new episodes as they air. In the U.S., the show is still pirated by people looking to avoid HBO’s high costs.
Game of Thrones’ third season averaged 13.6 million viewers over all platforms, including HBO Go and Video On Demand. The show was renewed for a fourth season.
Image Credit: Helen Sloan/HBO