In a move certain to drive piracy, Foxtel has quietly tied up the local rights to The Walking Dead to stop Australians buying this season week-by-week on iTunes, Google Play or Fetch TV.

The Walking Dead returned to television on Sunday night in the US, with Foxtel simulcasting the Season 7 debut on Monday afternoon in Australia as it does with several popular shows including HBO's Game of Thrones. Things looked pretty grim for our heroes at the end of the Season 6 cliffhanger, bowing before Negan, but some Australians will be forced to wait until next year to learn the outcome – unless they're prepared to bend or break the rules.

Fans of The Walking Dead have more to fear than zombies, with Foxtel determined to ensure there is no other legit way to watch the show week-by-week in Australia.

This year Foxtel has quietly struck a GoT-style deal with The Walking Dead's producers AMC and local distributor eOne to give the pay TV giant exclusive rights over Season 7 until it has finished screening the entire season. You won't see new episodes on the Presto subscription service, only via a Foxtel home subscription or Foxtel Play. The Walking Dead screens on Foxtel's FX channel, which is part of Foxtel Play's current $25 p/m Drama package and will be included in the $15 p/m Pop package after December's pricing revamp.

Judging by previous seasons, that means Australians won't be able to buy even the first episode of Season 7 from iTunes, Google Play or Fetch TV until April next year – perhaps longer if Apple spits the dummy and holds out for longer as it did when Foxtel pulled the same stunt with Game of Thrones back in 2014. Alternatively you'll probably need to wait until August 2017 to buy Season 7 on disc.