Google Play UK gets Game of Thrones

Google has inked a deal with HBO to make award-winning fantasy drama Game of Thrones available via its online store in the UK.

The deal will see other HBO shows including Boardwalk Empire, True Blood, Girls and Veep available on Google Play for the first time.

Other programming from HBO’s back catalogue, including military dramas The Pacific and Band of Brothers and crime shows The Wire and The Sopranos, will be landing on the service later this month.

Meanwhile, some of HBO’s latest content, such as Banshee and the first season of The Newsroom, will arrive early next year.

The deal will comes as a blow to Apple, as the firm’s iTunes store does not currently have rights to Game of Thrones, although it does offer a range of HBO shows.

Google is charging £18.49 (US$30) for the full third season of Game of Thrones, or £1.89 an episode. In the UK, BSkyB has broadcast TV rights to the series, with the third season having ended in mid-June. Sky customers could also watch the drama on the Sky Go mobile service.

Last year, Tesco-owned VoD service Blinkbox signed an exclusive deal to be the first digital service to offer the show after broadcast.