In a statement to IndieWire, HBO blamed the leak on a distribution partner in Europe, the Middle East, or the African region. The channel also stated that it is “aggressively” searching for and taking down copies of the leak on the internet. “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’s statement read. “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.”
The finale leak is similar to several situations that “House of the Dragon’s” parent show “Game of Thrones” experienced during its run. As the show grew in popularity during its latter seasons, it became the most pirated show of all time, and leaks and spoilers were extremely common. In 2019, a few weeks before the final episode aired, several clips from the finale and plot spoilers for the episode leaked online. Similar to the last seasons of “Game of Thrones,” HBO did not provide screeners for the season finale of “House of the Dragon” to press ahead of its airdate. “House of the Dragon” stars Emma D’Arcy, Olivia Cooke, Matt Smith, Rhys Ifans, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Fabien Frankel, Sonoya Mizuno, and Graham McTavish. The series, which explores a civil war within the ruling Targaryen family in the fantasy kingdom of Westeros, was created by George R. R. Martin and Ryan Condal, with Condal serving as showrunner with Miguel Sapochnik. The season finale of “House of the Dragon” will air on HBO on Sunday, and will also stream on HBO Max. The series has already been renewed for a second season. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
