Thrones simulcast to combat piracy

The first episode of season four of HBO’s Game of Thrones – the most pirated series of the past two years – will air in the UK at exactly the same time as in the US.

In a clear bid to defeat internet pirates, Sky Atlantic will show the episode as it airs in the US at 21.00 (ET) on Sunday April 6, meaning viewers in the UK will be able to watch the show at 02.00 (GMT) on Monday April 7.

The channel will repeat the episode at the normal time of 21.00 (GMT) on the same day for those unwilling to watch in the middle of the night. The pay TV broadcaster announced the news at a special Game of Thrones screening in London last night.

Game of Thrones has the dubious honour of being the most illegally downloaded TV series of 2013 for the second year running, ahead of Breaking Bad in second place, while its season three premiere was the most pirated programme ever.

The drama’s season three finale was pirated more times than it was legally watched, with 5.9 million illegal downloads compared with audience figures of 5.5 million, according to file sharing website TorrrentFreak.com.