HBO has condemned the leaking of House of the Dragon's season 1 finale.
The US channel has released a public comment to confirm that a copy leaked of this weekend's episode, 'The Black Queen', because of an apparent breakdown in the international distribution of the show (via Deadline).
An HBO spokesperson said on Friday (October 21): "We are aware that the tenth episode of House of the Dragon has been posted on illegal torrent sites. It appears to have originated from a distribution partner in the EMEA region.
"HBO is aggressively monitoring and pulling these copies from the internet. We’re disappointed that this unlawful action has disrupted the viewing experience for loyal fans of the show, who will get to see a pristine version of the episode when it premieres Sunday on HBO and HBO Max, where it will stream exclusively in 4K."
This is familiar territory for both HBO and the franchise, as Game of Thrones routinely had scenes and episodes leaked ahead of their TV transmission.
During the prior show's final season, Game of Thrones director David Nutter encouraged fans to stay away from unfinished versions of the episodes because they don't represent all of the cast and crew's hard work.
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"I think a lot of fans of the show might hear about leaks but they don't try to find out what they are, because I think fans of the show don't want to encounter them," he told The Wrap.
"I've never come across, as a casual internet person, a spoiler that I wasn't trying to look to find. But leaks have grown out of proportion, I think."
The leaks had been less prevalent during House of the Dragon's first season until this unfortunate incident days before the finale.
House of the Dragon airs on Sundays on HBO, and on Mondays on Sky Atlantic and NOW in the UK. Season 2 has been confirmed. Game of Thrones seasons 1-8 are available on DVD and Blu-ray.
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Justin is a freelance entertainment journalist and writer. He first joined Digital Spy as a freelance entertainment reporter in 2010 and also worked as a sub-editor for the brand, serving as Night News Editor from 2016 to 2024. Over more than a decade, Justin has covered numerous major entertainment events from the US and has interviewed a wide-ranging group of public figures, from comedian Steve Coogan to icons from the Star Trek universe, cast members from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reality stars from numerous Real Housewives cities and the Below Deck franchise. Justin has also been on the ground to cover major pop culture events like the Star Wars Celebration and the D23 Expo. He's written for titles across the Hearst network, plus the likes of CBR and Us Weekly.
