New Delhi: The tenth and final episode of House of the Dragon was leaked online on Friday, two days before its premiere on HBO. The show is a prequel to the hit Game of Thrones and is based on George RR Martin’s Fire & Blood. The series is set 200 years before the events that captivated global audiences in ‘Game of Thrones’.
The leak appears to have come from a distribution partner in Europe, the Middle East or Africa.
The statement issued by HBO, as shared by Variety, read, “We are aware that the tenth episode of House of the Dragon has been posted on illegal torrent sites. It appears to have originated from a distribution partner in the EMEA region. HBO is aggressively monitoring and pulling these copies from the internet. We’re disappointed that this unlawful action has disrupted the viewing experience for loyal fans of the show, who will get to see a pristine version of the episode when it premieres Sunday on HBO and HBO Max, where it will stream exclusively in 4K.”
‘Game Of Thrones' was also the victim of online leaks with many episodes in the final season leaking before the premiere date.
The show has been averaging 29 million viewers per episode. That's a massive audience for any premium cable series and a very promising sign that it is going the way of its predecessor.
'Game of Thrones' averaged more than 44 million viewers per episode for its eighth and final season in 2019.
Meanwhile, the seventh episode of the series drew criticism from the viewers as they felt several scenes from the episode were too dark to see. 'Game of Thrones' ignited similar backlash during its final season, especially for the dimly-lit battle episode 'The Long Night'. Both that episode and episode 7 of 'House of the Dragon' were directed by Emmy winner Miguel Sapochnik.
The show starring Emma D'Arcy, Olivia Cooke, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Sonoya Mizuno, Rhys Ifans, Milly Alcock, streams in India on Disney+ Hotstar with new episodes dropping every Monday.