Game of Thrones Piracy Numbers Far Lower Than Season 5

The good news for Game of Thrones this week is that the piracy numbers were nothing like last year.

Of course, the chances of the piracy numbers being anything like last year were astronomical. Due to the strategic leak of the first four episode screeners 24 hours prior to the Season 5 premiere, everyone was extra aware of the ability to download the episode. By the time all was said and done, “The Wars to Come” was downloaded 13 million times in the first 24 hours.

This year, HBO and Game of Thrones took all the precautions. No screeners were sent to anyone. Those sites who had their recaps up at 10pm sharp Sunday night were those who were invited to the LA premiere two weeks prior–and from the looks of how many professional television writers and recappers got their reviews up at 10pm sharp, it looks as if the audience for the premiere was largely comprised of them. (This would also explain how they kept everyone in the audience from leaking what happened. They filled the room with men and women who are used to living under embargoes.)

There was a moment Friday night when it looked like the episode might leak, as screencaps leaked out of France giving away most of Sunday night’s twists. Those screencaps made it obvious that whoever was leaking them had the full episode on their mac–but there was no follow up of the full episode appearing on line.

A leaked image from the Friday before the Season 6 premeire

Other factors were also in place. HBO Now is no longer Apple TV only, making it an actually effective alternative available in many homes. HBO Go didn’t crash, for the first time in living memory. HBO itself declared this a free weekend for all cable subscribers–and if anyone missed that it was a free weekend, they had certainly heard by Sunday afternoon, as it was appended to every article talking about Beyoncé’s Lemonade special that had aired the night before.

In the end, the piracy numbers were respectable certainly, but nothing like last year. Only about a million downloads for the first episode in the first 24 hours, according to Torrentfreak. Now, that sounds like a huge number, and at one time it was. But when taken into context with the numbers that the show usually does, it’s way down. In comparison, Season 4’s premiere was downloaded 1.17 million times in the first 24 hours. In fact, the last time Game of Thrones‘ piracy numbers were only around the 1 million mark was Season 3.

Does this mean that HBO has finally turned the tide? Probably not. If we take Season 5 out of the equation, and look over the Season 3 and Season 4 premieres then the show’s piracy is only down slightly, suggesting that instead, the show’s piracy numbers have merely settled back to their regular levels. After all, HBO can do what they will, but as Salladhor Saan, would tell you, a pirate’s gonna pirate.

Via http://winteriscoming.net/2016/04/29/the-red-woman-piracy-numbers-far-lower-than-season-5/

Another Game of Thrones episode title revealed by HBO Asia

A few days ago, the possible title of the fourth episode of Game of Thrones season 6 popped up on the HBO Asia website, and today another title has appeared.

According to HBO Asia’s schedule, the fifth episode of the season will be “The Door.” This episode will be the first of two GoT episodes directed by Jack Bender in season 6.

As vague and generic as it is, a title like “The Door” could have many meanings. A door is an easy object for metaphor- the door between life and death, the door between worlds, a door between the future and the past, etc. There are a lot of ways to go with it. But more literally, there are notable doors in the ASOIAF world such as the Moon Door and the House with the Red Door of Dany’s memories. Dany’s red door hasn’t really come up on the show, but the Moon Door of the Eyrie has certainly been put to good use. We also have some imprisoned characters this season who could be looking to step through the door.

Basically, have at it, folks! What do you think the title means?

 

The post Another Game of Thrones episode title revealed by HBO Asia appeared first on Watchers on the Wall.

Via http://watchersonthewall.com

If "Game Of Thrones" Characters Were Authors

Who’d be the best writer in Westeros?

1. Varys

Erende Sangma

2. Jorah Mormont

Erende Sangma

3. Sansa Stark

Erende Sangma

4. Cersei Lannister

Erende Sangma

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Via https://www.buzzfeed.com/erendesangma/if-game-of-thrones-characters-were-authors-2bb1d?utm_term=4ldqpia

17 Ways "Game Of Thrones" Would Be Different In Canada

Winter is never going to fucking end.

This post contains spoilers for the Season 6 premiere of Game Of Thrones.

HBO

HBO / BuzzFeed Canada

HBO / Via reddit.com

HBO / BuzzFeed Canada / Via io9.gizmodo.com

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Via https://www.buzzfeed.com/katangus/tu-ne-sais-rien-jean-neige?utm_term=4ldqpia

Joe Naufahu (Khal Moro): more funny Dothraki scenes on the way

There’s a new khal in town, and his name is Moro. Joe Naufahu portrays the leader of the massive khalasar that took Daenerys Targaryen hostage at the end of Season 5, the one she sparred with in the Season 6 premiere. The Wall Street Journal talked to Naufahu about his newest role, and learned that his parents didn’t know what Game of Thrones was when he was cast. His father thought he was going to be a contestant on a gameshow.

Naufahu also recalls two and three-hour Skype calls with a language expert where he learned how to speak the Dothraki language. He and Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen) developed their own Dothraki-themed inside jokes while filming scenes together.

So we’d have little jokes, me and Emilia, with our own little pidgin Dothraki here and there. And I’d slip in some Samoan and Tongan words and try to put her off.

The actor also talked about the scene where Moro suggests that seeing a beautiful woman naked for the first time is the best thing in life, and his bloodriders contradict him up and down. It was an unexpectedly funny moment in a dark episode, and Naufahu says we can expect more of that later in the season.

Moving on, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau sat down with the hosts of the Nerdist podcast, including Chris Hardwick. In a terrific interview, Coster-Waldau discusses how Europeans perceive Americans, growing up in a small Danish farming town, the Cersei-Jaime rape scene from Season 4, and what makes the the character so likable. There’s even a fun bit about Waldau ending Season 6 with Jaime’s own show: The Lannister Family Variety Hour.

It’s a great interview, and if you have the time you should absolutely listen to the whole thing—the whole thing is an hour-and-thirteen minutes long, and Coster-Waldau comes in around the ten-minute mark. Chris Hardwick is a fantastic host and a huge nerd—he’s clearly interested in Game of Thrones and gets the best of of Coster-Waldau.

Via http://winteriscoming.net/2016/04/28/joe-naufahu-khal-moro-more-funny-dothraki-scenes-on-the-way/

Curtain Call: Toby Sebastian

Toby Sebastian’s time on Game of Thrones was brief. As Prince Trystane Martell, he appeared in five episodes: “The House of Black and White” (where he didn’t have any dialogue), “Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken,” “The Dance of Dragons,” “Mother’s Mercy” (again, no dialogue), and last Sunday’s Season 6 premiere. It was a short and, frankly, unexciting stretch. Like most of the Dornish characters introduced in Season 5, Trystane was not well-received by fans, and he never got a chance to carve out a place for himself on the show before he died in “The Red Woman.”

If the character was a failure, it wasn’t actor Toby Sebastian’s fault. Sebastian had done a little bit of movie and television acting before being cast on the show, but Game of Thrones represents his most visible work to date. He looked the part. With his good looks and confidence, we could believe that he was related to Oberyn Martell, even if he had a ways to go before he equaled his uncle for swagger. Also, after encountering noble sons who were cruel (Joffrey), psychopathic (Ramsay), and emotionally stunted (Robin Arryn), it was nice to meet one who was more or less a nice guy, if maybe a bit conceited. Trystane is probably the closest Game of Thrones ever came to depicting a decent, honest, Disney-style prince.

The problem was that the show didn’t really do anything with this idea. Trystane’s talk with Mrycella Baratheon in the Water Gardens in “Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken” was interesting because it was so different than what we usually heard on this show. These kids weren’t talking about plots or schemes or depravity—they were just two teenagers flirting.

But soon enough, the normal Game of Thrones pattern reasserted itself. Save for a quick scene in “The Dance of Dragons,” not much time passed before Trystane found himself embroiled in one of those Game of Thrones-style interfamily power grabs. He was stabbed through the back of the head by his cousin on his way back to Dorne, the victim of a scheme to save the country from what his relatives saw as his father’s weak leadership. (Or maybe a scheme by the writers to leave Dorne behind them—it’s hard to be sure.)

It’s unclear whether Trystane’s abrupt death was always part of the plan, or if the producers wrote him out of the show after the Dornish storyline in Season 5 was poorly received. Showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss have said that they changed nothing in response to fan criticism, but it seems odd that the show set Trystane up to join the King’s Landing Small Council in Season 5, and killed him less than an hour into Season 6.

Whatever the reasons behind his death, Trystane died before we really got a chance to know him. Considering how little respect Obara and Nymeria Sand seem to have for members of the Martell family, it’s too much to hope that they’ll take his body back to Dorne for a proper burial. They likely dumped him overboard. Rest in peace, Trystane. Say hi to the fishes.

Via http://winteriscoming.net/2016/04/28/curtain-call-toby-sebastian/

Game of Thrones Season 6 Episode 1: GIF Recap

The long night is finally over and Game of Thrones Season 6 has officially begun. Sunday night’s episode was everything a season premiere should be, delivering exciting fight scenes, intense drama, and even tender moments with that Game of Thrones flair we’ve come to know and love.

Like last season, we will be breaking each episode down with amazing GIF’s from the always cool folks at COUB, as well as a few of our own design.

We start Episode 601, “The Red Woman,” with a recap from the Season 5 finale. This is the only real recap you need to remember.

Yep…still dead. Jon is still dead.

Oh look, there’s that silly “Traitor” sign, and it’s still a terrible plot device.

Meanwhile, at Winterfell they say, that Ramsay’s small heart grew three sizes that day…oh, wait.

While Ramsay was feeding his dogs, Sansa and Theon were out for a morning stroll through the woods.

Why are they so scared? Ramsay is a reasonable guy, right?

This was actually a nice and tender moment.

Suddenly, a wild Brienne and Pod appear!

Theon Greyjoy, Hand of the Queen.

In King’s Landing, Jaime returned Myrcella’s body to Cersei and then came up with new words for House Lannister.

In Dorne, the overall plot was murdered.

And the Sand Snakes used Littlefinger’s patented Magical Teleportation Device (LMTD) to warp over to Trystane’s boat and kill him at the same exact time his father and his father’s bodyguard were being murdered. It’s Dornish kismet!

In Meereen, Tyrion and Varys walked the streets without an escort, because there’s no way the Sons of the Harpy know that Tyrion is the new city regent and would attack him openly in the streets. Also, they are in merchant clothes…the ultimate disguise.

Possibly the line of the night, that. And then Tyrion zings Varys further with the coup de grâce comment of all time.

Out on the plains, Legolas and Aragorn found Pippin’s ring on the ground, and are now hot on her trail to rescue her from the Orcs!

Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

In the end, being the wife of a khal saved Dany from a terrible fate.

Keeping things in Essos, Arya got the snot smacked out of her by the Waif Sexy Jesus No One The Faceless Man Busted Ass Kimmy Gibbler a mean person. I can never keep up.

Back at the Wall, Davos and Alliser Thorne are having a pleasant chat about the culinary necessities of traveling South .

Then Melisandre took off her clothes and her necklace and OH MY GOD WHY?

That’s it for this week, be sure to tune in next week for the GIF breakdown of Episode 2, “Home.”

Via http://winteriscoming.net/2016/04/28/game-of-thrones-season-6-episode-1-gif-recap/