HBO is keen in preventing any “Game of Thrones” story leaks out by refusing to hand over any episodes in the upcoming Season 7 to TV critics. The practice of having an advance viewing of every TV program for a review is a unique privilege many insiders have been enjoying for a long time. However, this will not happen for the upcoming season of the hit fantasy series.
Back in 2015, HBO suffered a massive loss in DVD and streaming revenues when the first four episodes of “Game of Thrones” season 5 leaked to BitTorrent. Shockingly, these episodes came from the DVD screeners that were sent out to the press and industry insiders weeks ahead of the show’s television pilot airing.
The “Game of Thrones” franchise is HBO’s most popular series of all time. It has remarkably enjoyed all the superlatives for a TV program like being the most expensive show on television and an international phenomenon. It has also been hailed as the world’s most illegally downloaded series. Therefore, any episodes leaking is definitely a colossal deal.
The following year, HBO did the most unprecedented move ever for a drama series – it denied critics screeners any episodes of their then upcoming season. The secrecy and immense security the franchise enjoys at the moment extends the limits of its forthcoming storylines to showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss in fear of any leak.
According to Entertainment Weekly, production outfits and television networks agree to send out multiple episodes of their scripted shows weeks or months before they premiere.
In the recent years, the industry has had a new way of promoting the shows by means of making the remainder of each season available in private online screening rooms.
One good example of this practice is HBO’s “The Leftovers.” Six episodes of the show’s final season were sent in advance to critics, weeks before the series’ first episode aired.
But the network’s tone has become stern when this matter would involve the Thrones series.
Still, the press and TV critics will get the chance to write their reviews. Thanks to the red carpet premieres, at least one episode from the season goes live and makes a good material for stirring readers' minds and gathering immense response from the fans hungry to witness what unfolds next in season 7.
In addition, no further announcement has been released regarding the show’s red carpet schedule and which major city will get the premiere. Tune into Blasting News for more updates.
