HBO reveals who was behind 'House of the Dragon' leak
The much-anticipated season two finale of HBO's hit series House of the Dragon was unexpectedly leaked online days ahead of its planned release. The leak, which reportedly occurred on Tuesday, saw significant parts of the episode appearing on TikTok and X/Twitter accounts. Despite swift efforts by the makers to eliminate the leaked content, duplicate clips, approximately 14, rapidly proliferated across multiple social media platforms.
HBO identified third-party distributors as the leak source
HBO has confirmed that the leak originated from an "international third-party distributor," although the exact source remains unidentified. An HBO spokesperson, in a statement on Wednesday, acknowledged the incident saying, "We are aware that clips from the House of the Dragon season finale have surfaced across social media platforms." "The clips were posted after an unintentional release from an international third-party distributor. HBO is aggressively monitoring and removing clips from the internet, and fans can watch the episode this Sunday."
Situation mirrors what happened to the 'HotD' S01 finale
This incident marks a recurring issue for House of the Dragon, as a similar leak occurred during its first season's finale in October 2022. HBO reported that the earlier leak originated from a distribution partner in Europe, the Middle East, or Africa. Similarly, Game of Thrones experienced several online leaks throughout its eight-season run, particularly during its final season. Numerous episodes from Season 8 surfaced on illegal websites, and some even appeared on legitimate platforms like DirecTV Now.
'House of the Dragon' continues to thrive despite leaks
Despite these setbacks, the second season of House of the Dragon, a prequel to Game of Thrones, has been well-received by fans. The show, set 200 years before the events of GoT, chronicles the Targaryen family's struggle for control over Westeros's Iron Throne. The show returned to an audience of 7.8M total viewers on June 16, even with a 22% decline from last year. The leaked finale episode is scheduled for release on JioCinema on Monday morning (August 5).
