
HBO and Game of Thrones are going through some happy and probably quite annoying times at the moment. The premium broadcasting company has been hit by a wave of hacks, leaks, and even accidental releases.
However, this hasn’t curbed its fans’ enthusiasm. On the contrary, it might have even fueled it as the latest episode of Game of Thrones Eastwatch just broke another viewership record.
Game of Thrones Eastwatch Becomes Most Viewed Episode
Game of Thrones is at its seventh and next to last season. The premiere of this much expected Season 7 broke the network’s viewership records as it became HBO’s most watched original show premiere. Named Dragonstone, Episode 1 of Season 7, which originally aired on July 16, drew in 10.11 million viewers in the United States alone, in both TV and additional sources. The record was then broken by Episode 4, with 10.2 million viewers on the original air date.
Now, in less than a month, another Game of Thrones episode once again broke the network’s records. Episode 5, titled Eastwatch, registered 10.72 million viewers on its original air date, which was August 13.
This is an even bigger achievement when taking into account all the wave of hacks and leaks which HBO has been subjected to over the past few weeks. Just as the fourth episode and all the ones coming after it, the script of Eastwatch started circulating online, which gave rise to a flood of spoilers.
Another Leak in the Wall
The internet is now abuzz as another episode of Game of Thrones was leaked online, in full. This time around, the source of the latest leak was even worse, as it did not come directly from a hack, like the others. Instead, according to reports, HBO Spain and HBO Nordics accidentally posted the episode online, before realizing their mistake and taking it down.
However, the hour it reportedly spent online was enough for a few hackers to get their hands on it and start posting it online. News on the matter emerged on the same day in which HBO announced the name of the sixth episode. The now titled Episode 6, Beyond the Wall, is set to air on August 20. The HBO PR page released promotional images.
.@GameOfThrones S7E6 (“Beyond the Wall”) debuts Sunday, August 20 at 9PM on @HBO: https://t.co/yphjTjHisg pic.twitter.com/Oo6vkFCJxt
— HBO PR (@HBOPR) August 16, 2017
Image Credits: HBO PR