Game of Thrones just suffered a major upset. It was not the most pirated TV show in 2018. That's right; following a six-year streak as the most pirated series, Game of Thrones did not just lose the top spot. It dropped out of the top ten entirely.
The news comes as TorrentFreak reports its year-end results. It is important to note that BitTorrent's measurements are not necessarily indicative of all internet piracy. That said, the drop in Game of Thrones being pirated was to be expected.
Game of Thrones did not air a single new episode in 2018. So, there was no demand for new content. It took exactly that to knock the hit show out of the top ten. Ever since Season 2, Game of Thrones has earned the top spot as television's most pirated show.
The Walking Dead was very much alive when it came to interest in pirating episodes of the TV show. The veteran zombie drama surged to the top spot following a second-place finish in 2017. Its 2018 run witnessed the much-buzzed-about exit of Rick Grimes, so its first-place finish is not a complete shocker.
In Game of Thrones' absence, the top three each moved up a spot, while two other shows moved up an impressive four spots. History's Vikings rose from an eighth-place finish in 2017 to a top-five finish in 2018, seizing the No. 4 slot. With Game of Thrones taking a break, genre fans' need for cutthroat action continued.
The CW's Arrow also rose four spots. The superhero series surged from tenth-place into sixth. Last year saw Arrow's sixth season end on a huge cliffhanger, and Season 7 picked up with Oliver behind bars in prison. Not to mention, the Arrow-verse's "Elseworlds" crossover event may have attracted internet pirates.
New to the most-pirated list was DC Universe's freshman series, Titans. The much-anticipated superhero drama finished in fifth place, surpassing two of The CW's Arrow-verse series. DC's Legends of Tomorrow seized ninth place.
Also new to the list of the most pirated TV shows was HBO's Westworld. It returned for its second season in 2018. The CW's cult favorite, Supernatural also made its way into the top ten. As of 2018, it is in the midst of its fourteenth season and hurtling towards its 300th episode.
Of the top ten most pirated shows, only one of them was a much-loved sitcom. That honor belongs to The Big Bang Theory. The series will sign off in the first half of 2019. So, it may very well remain in the top ten next year. There will undoubtedly be high demand in the world of internet piracy for the series finale.
As for Game of Thrones, it should return to the top spot in 2019. The global phenomenon's eighth and final season will premiere sometime in April 2019 on HBO. It is among the plethora of shows awaiting viewers in 2019.