It's a big change, but it's not entirely surprising given what happened ahead of season five last year. Four episodes of the season leaked online -- presumably from advance review screeners -- before the show had even premiered. Piracy after the shows aired is inevitable, but HBO surely wants to keep secrets about the new season from hitting the internet before the show even comes back.

That's particularly important this year, as Game of Thrones season six will start unveiling plot points that haven't even been published in George R.R. Martin's books yet, giving HBO even more reason to keep things quiet. Critics and fans alike will have their first chance to see the new season on April 24th.