Do you know what people love more than money? If you said free stuff, you’re right on the money.
The world of entertainment is filled with great content hidden behind paywalls, and as long as we’re in a day ending in y, people will always try to find ways to access it without paying a dime. This is where piracy comes in.
Today being the last day of the year, you can bet everyone’s making a list of something, be it the major events of this year or the hopes and dreams of the coming one. A rather interesting list, however, has captured the attention of many, courtesy of TorrentFreak.
The blog that’s dedicated to reporting the latest in the world of file sharing and copyright has released a list of the most pirated TV shows of the year. Spoiler alert: Succession did not make the top ten.
At the top of this list is HBO’s hit series The Last of Us, which took the spot from fellow network show House of the Dragon. Adapted from the acclaimed video game series, The Last of Us went against the current of poor adaptations, turning what was initially expected to be a mediocre show into a stunning masterpiece.
Its premiere saw it draw over 4.7 million viewers on HBO, second only to House of the Dragon. Over the course of its nine-episode run, The Last of Us was averaging nearly 32 million viewers per episode, a monumental feat for any show. What’s impressive is that these stats don’t account for piracy, which would likely make these figures much higher.
Piracy stats might not give us a clear picture of who’s winning and who’s not in the streaming wars, but they can give us a hint. Game of Thrones dominated the list of most pirated TV shows for years, ceding the title after its conclusion in 2019.
In 2020, Westworld failed to top the list, losing out to The Mandalorian and The Boys, which came in at the first and second spots, respectively. However, we can all agree that by the time the third season of Westworld rolled in in 2020, viewership enthusiasm was at an all-time low.
Ultimately, there’s a good chance that HBO shows will dominate the list of most pirated TV shows for the foreseeable future. Season 2 of House of the Dragon is scheduled to premiere this coming summer, while the second season of The Last of Us will follow sometime in 2025.
Unless these two shows decline in quality, we doubt any other show will fetch more downloads on the high seas. Maybe Fallout might challenge House of the Dragon next year, but really, this is me being very optimistic.
Going back to the most pirated TV shows list, Disney might be losing out on many potential subscribers considering four of its shows, namely The Mandalorian, Loki, Ahsoka, and Secret Invasion, were second, third, fourth, and fifth, respectively.
Apple TV also made the list, with Silo coming in at sixth, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters at seventh, and Ted Lasso rounding off the list. Tulsa King was also a major hit at eighth place, while Gen V seemed to have an impressive debut, securing the ninth spot.
