HBO: Thrones unaffected by Brexit

Game of Thrones’ sixth season has just come to an end

HBO has reassured Game of Thrones viewers that the UK’s decision to leave the European Union (EU) will not cause a cut in funding for the popular fantasy-adventure series.

The US$10m-per-episode programme, the sixth season of which concluded last night, receives funding from several UK organisations including Northern Ireland Screen (NIS) and Invest NI, as large sections are filmed in the country.

The show is predominantly filmed in Northern Ireland, which is part of the UK and is set to leave the EU. Other shooting locations include Spain, Croatia, Malta, Iceland and Morocco.

But HBO said that the UK’s vote to leave the EU on Thursday, or ‘Brexit,’ will not cause a reduction in funding to the series.

“We do not anticipate that the result of the EU referendum will have any material effect on HBO producing Game of Thrones,” the US premium cablenet said in a statement.

Meanwhile, NIS also confirmed that its funding will remain following Brexit.

“Northern Ireland Screen’s production funding comes from the Northern Ireland Executive through Invest NI and does not use monies provided from European funded programmes,” the NIS said. “We look forward to business as usual.”

Game of Thrones is also part of the UK film and TV tax incentives programme, which will not be impacted by the Brexit vote. The series, which had its sixth season finale last night and is set for a seventh and eighth, had already stopped receiving subsidies from the European Regional Development Fund, which it received for its first few seasons.