TORONTO – Game of Thrones has been named the most pirated show of the year for the second year in a row, beating out fan favourites such as Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead, according to piracy news site TorrentFreak.
The HBO drama garnered 5.9 million downloads in 2013 – with more than half of downloads occurring the same week the show aired – while 5.5 million U.S. viewers watched the show live on TV.
Breaking Bad came in second with 4.2 million download; more than 10 million TV viewers tuned in to watch the show live.
The Walking Dead took third place with 3.6 million downloads versus more than 16 million viewers who tuned in live.
In June, Game of Thrones set another piracy record after BitTorrent reported 170,000 users were sharing the same file of the show’s season finale simultaneously.
But the show’s creators don’t seem bothered by the number of people downloading the show illegally.
After the series was named the most downloaded show of 2012, director David Petrarca said piracy isn’t hurting the show – that it helps create the “cultural buzz” it needs to survive.
TorrentFreak’s complete list of the most downloaded shows of 2013:
1. Game of Thrones — 5.9 million downloads
2. Breaking Bad — 4.2 million downloads
3. The Walking Dead — 3.6 million downloads
4. The Big Bang Theory — 3.4 million downloads
5. Dexter — 3.1 million downloads
6. How I Met Your Mother — 3 million downloads
7. Suits — 2.6 million downloads
8. Homeland — 2.4 million downloads
9. Vikings — 2.3 million downloads
10. Arrow — 2.2 million downloads
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