'GoT' becomes most pirated show in lockdown

HBO’s fantasy series Game of Thrones (GoT), which concluded with its eighth season last year, has become the most pirated TV show in the world during the coronavirus-induced lockdown, according to the data released by Parrot Analytics.

Based on the book series A Song of Ice and Fire, GoT by George RR Martin dethroned Adult Swim’s science-fiction animated series Rick and Morty and Hulu’s My Hero Academia.

AMC’s long-running zombie apocalypse series The Walking Dead, Disney+’s Star Wars series The Mandalorian, CW’s superhero series The Flash and DC Universe’s Harley Quinn are other shows in the list.

Even before the lockdown, GoT consistently topped the lists of the most pirated TV shows, given its fans have been invested in it to an unprecedented degree. The intensity can be gauged by the infamous online petition to remake the final season. The petition has more than 1.8 million signatories.

The final season evoked mixed feelings garnering a majority of negative audience reception as well as harsh critical reviews. However, to cash in on its popularity to date, several shows by other networks, HBO included, are developing similar shows, according to The Indian Express.

Not to mention, a prequel of the show is also in the works, according to a recent announcement made by the network. The show called the House of Dragon, as the name suggests, would entail the history of House Targaryen in the series, reported Entertainment Weekly.

It is based on George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood, which is a history of House Targaryen set 300 years before the events of GoT. Although there is no official casting breakdown yet, speculations about who could pull off the leading roles of Martin’s book have begun.

Fire & Blood covers 150 years and includes the rise and fall of many leaders in Westeros so it's not clear which characters and time period will be the focus of the series. Sources as cited by EW entail that the famed Dance of Dragons – the Targaryen Civil War that ripped apart Westeros, occasionally addressed in GoT– will be tackled at some point.

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