Game of Thrones: 780k downloads of leaked episodes

The world’s most pirated TV show, Game of Thrones, appears in no danger of losing that dubious title. The first four episodes of the new season leaked online on Saturday night US time, a day before the first episode was due to be screened in a worldwide simulcast intended to prevent piracy.

By 7am Sunday, US time, the leaked episodes had been downloaded by more than 550,000 individual clients worldwide, according to piracy-tracking firm Excipio, reports Variety; by 9am, the figure was up to 778,985.

The leaks appear to come from screeners sent to reviewers, reports Mashable.

The 10-episode season 5 premieres on April 12 in the US, airing at 5am April 13 in the UAE and again at 11pm.