To stem the tide of piracy, a deal has been signed between Australian VOD provider Quickflix and HBO which will see the HBO hit Game of Thrones fast-tracked. The latest episodes of Game of Thrones will be made available for viewing on Quickflix 26 hours after the episode first airs on HBO in the United States, and 24 hours after the Foxtel airing.
Quickflix customers will be able to purchase the episodes on an episode-by-episode basis, or a season pass, similar to the iTunes, which also makes the episodes available with roughly the same delay. The iTunes pricing for a season pass is currently $33.99 for the HD version, and $28.99 for the standard definition version, and while Quickflix pricing information is not available at the time of writing, it will be competitive, said the CEO of Quickflix Stephen Lanford to news.com.au.
The new season premier of Game of Thrones earned the unwanted record of being the most pirated TV show ever, with more than a million people around the world downloading episode 1 within the first 24 hours. Australians were responsible for 10% of worldwide downloads, which is a remarkable record considering our small population.
The lack of access options, extended delays that sometimes amounted to months, combined with the high cost of Foxtel, has been blamed for the high piracy rate of shows like Game of Thrones here in Australia.
