The Walking Dead is the most pirated television show of 2018 according to TorrentFreak. The news comes as no surprise as The Walking Dead was also cable’s biggest show of 2018, despite a dip in the ratings. The new title for the show may not thrill AMC, but TWD had been the second most-pirated show for the last four years behind a show that also features the undead. So this is pretty big.
The news, however, does come with a bit of an asterisk. Game of Thrones, which held the most-pirated title for the last six years, was ineligible for the list because there were no new shows in 2018. And while The Walking Dead was the most popular show airing new episodes, Game of Thrones still cast a pretty big shadow. Via TorrentFreak:
Finally, while Game of Thrones is excluded this year it doesn’t mean that the show isn’t being pirated. GoT torrents remain the most sought-after season bundles on torrent sites.
In fact, if all downloads from previous episodes and seasons would count, GoT would likely still be on top. This is also what IKnowWhatYouDownload suggests. We, therefore, have no doubt that it will return to the top of the charts for a grand finale next year when the final season airs.
GoT was also the most-watched program on Comcast’s Xfinity platform last year. As official as streaming and viewing records can get, the final season of Game of Thrones should set the bar when it returns in a few months. Then The Walking Dead and every other show can fight for the top spot in 2020.
The good news is that the title will be back up for grabs in 2020 when Game of Thrones is off the air and The Walking Dead continues into it’s double-digit seasons. The last time Game of Thrones wasn’t the most-pirated new show of the year was during it’s first season. The show that edged out GoT in 2011? Dexter. So it should be interesting to see what show challenges The Walking Dead in 2020.
