HBO's critically-acclaimed fantasy series was the most pirated TV show in 2024, as revealed in a new study confirming just how much it was ed. HBO has created many widely popular series over the years, from early hits such as The Sopranos and Sex and the City to more recent shows including Succession and Barry. Their over-the-top streaming service Max also has its own original programs, such as Tokyo Vice and Peacemaker. However, the network's series' popularity has also resulted in much of its content becoming the top shows sought after by pirates.

In 2023, HBO's The Last of Us became the most-pirated show of the year, topping the charts ahead of Disney+'s The Mandalorian, which held the record in 2020 and 2021. The longest-standing record holder was HBO's Game of Thrones before it ended, making HBO shows a major commodity for TV show pirates. In 2024, one of their very popular fantasy series took the crown, which is perhaps unsurprising considering the fact that the network has such a long history of piracy problems.

House Of The Dragon Season 2 Was 2024's Most-Pirated Show

Other Long-Running Streaming Shows Also Made The List

In 2024, House of the Dragon ended up becoming the most-pirated TV show of the year. The fantasy series, which was co-created by Ryan Condal and original author George R. R. Martin, serves as a prequel to Game of Thrones, telling the story of the Dance of the Dragons, the Targaryen civil war that stretched across all of Westeros. The House of the Dragon season 2 ending saw major events in the war about to unfold, garnering 8.5 million viewers for the finale between both HBO and Max. The series' popularity is undeniable, even when not taking piracy into .

House of the Dragon is an adaptation of George R. R. Martin's novel Fire & Blood.

Now, TorrentFreak has confirmed that House of the Dragon season 2 was the most-pirated TV show of 2024, based on BitTorrent traffic. While this doesn't represent all piracy across the Internet, it does offer an accurate gauge of the popularity of the series. The show came in above The Boys season 4, as the Prime Video superhero series took the No. 2 spot on the list. It also ranks above other HBO series including the DC Comics spinoff The Penguin and the sci-fi prequel Dune: Prophecy. Check out the full Top 10 chart below:

What House Of The Dragon's Piracy Popularity Means

The Series Is No Stranger To Being Pirated

The show's high ranking isn't surprising, since it was also the most-pirated series of 2022, when it first debuted. Given Game of Thrones' own history as the most-pirated TV series for multiple years in a row, House of the Dragon keeping the same unfortunate record every time a new season comes out isn't all that shocking. However, it does mean HBO is on a three-year streak in first place, signifying their global success in a rather unlucky way.

House of the Dragon season 3 has already been renewed...

Additionally, the high piracy of season 2 does not seem to have diminished its ratings. If anything, it is a reflection of how many people are also watching the franchise through regular channels as well. House of the Dragon season 3 has already been renewed and is still moving forward. It is also not the only Game of Thrones spinoff series set to hit HBO in the coming years. The series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which is based on George R. R. Martin's Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas, is set to debut on HBO in 2025.

Our Take On House of the Dragon's Piracy

It Could Eventually Hurt The Show

One troubling statistic about House of the Dragon is the fact that audiences seem to be rating season 2 slightly lower than season 1. On Rotten Tomatoes, the new season's audience score is 73% compared to the debut season's 83%. While this is still a firmly positive score and piracy has so far not been damaging to the Game of Thrones spinoff, it could prove to eventually erode its foundations if season 3 has less traditional viewership because of this decline.

Read More

For a better understanding of the Targaryens and their interconnected web of family relationships and rivalries, read the House of the Dragon season 2 cast guide.

Read ScreenRant's House of the Dragon season 2 review for a better sense of how the new season compares to season 1.

Readers can also learn more about the other Game of Thrones spinoffs, a large roster which seems to prove that the big-budget fantasy franchise is so far still as viable as ever.

Read about the House of the Dragon timeline for a better understanding of the decades-spanning show's own complicated internal timeline as well as how it relates to the overall timeline of the original Game of Thrones series.

Source: TorrentFreak