Andre Swanston from Tru Optik on Game of Thrones premiere

Global Business

The wait for the return of Game of Thrones is over. If you’re watching outside of the United States, you’ll know that getting the latest fix of this fantasy epic often means waiting days after it airs. But that is all about to change.

Andre Swanston from Tru Optik on Game of Thrones premiere

The wait for the return of Game of Thrones is over. If you're watching outside of the United States, you'll know that getting the latest fix of this fantasy epic often means waiting days after it airs. But that is all about to change.

Highlights:

  • For the first time, HBO is airing and streaming this season’s premiere around the globe.
  • In theory this should deter what’s called unmonetized downloads, viewers obtaining hit series for free from internet streaming sites.
  • Last year, peer-to-peer movie downloads were worth $73 billion.  For TV, it was $18 billion. Game of Thrones represents $1.4 billion as the most downloaded TV show.

The company behind this research on downloads and dollars is Tru Optik.  CCTV’s Owen Fairclough spoke to its CEO Andre Swanston about the latest Game of Thrones release and whether HBO’s plan will deter piracy.