It’s official: for the first time in six years, Game of Thrones is no longer the world’s most-pirated show.
Instead, that ‘honor’ has now fallen to The Walking Dead, which ranked in first place over on TorrentFreak’s year in review. There is, of course, a very good reason that HBO’s fantasy flagship didn’t place in the top ten: there wasn’t a single new Thrones episode released in 2018, leaving the door open for The Walking Dead to claim the #1 spot. Not that it’ll last very long, mind you, as Game of Thrones is due to air its eighth and final season in April, by which point HBO will be ready to bring an end to its Song of Ice and Fire.
Before we get into the nitty-gritty, it should be noted that TorrentFreak collects its data from BitTorrent traffic, as well as statistics recorded by public BitTorrent trackers. It is, however, but a “small portion of the piracy landscape,” but it’s still a pretty good indication of the world’s most popular shows of 2018.
1. (2) The Walking Dead
2. (3) The Flash
3. (4) The Big Bang Theory
4. (8) Vikings
5. (…) Titans
6. (10) Arrow
7. (…) Supernatural
8. (…) Westworld
9. (…) DC’s Legends of Tomorrow
10. (9) Suits
It’s also interesting to note each show’s position in 2017, and how it compares to the most recent data. Supernatural, for instance, witnessed a streaming surge over the past 12 months, while Westworld and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow both cracked the top 10. There was also good news for Titans, which finds itself sandwiched between Vikings and Arrow after its strong debut.
Also of note, there’s still a huge demand for The Big Bang Theory, which recently launched its own spinoff series (Sheldon) in the hope of future-proofing the über-popular geek comedy.
And that’s it, really. The Walking Dead topped the pile for 2018, though we imagine Game of Thrones will reclaim its crown come April, when fire and ice will collide in spectacular fashion.
