A controversial start to the new series of Game of Thrones and not in terms of the death of a major character.

It's more because the first four episodes of season five were leaked online and downloaded by millions the day before the official TV premieres across the world.

HBO scheduled the premiere to happen in 170 countries simultaneously to avoid piracy.

A spokesman said the leak was down to one reviewer who had preview access.

"Sadly, it seems the leaked four episodes of the upcoming season of Game of Thrones originated from within a group approved by HBO to receive them.

"We're actively assessing how this breach occurred."

Just thinking out loud, what harm does it really do to the franchise?

This isn't the first time we've talked about Game of Thrones and piracy with some cast dubbing it a "back-handed compliment".

The trailer for season five was leaked when someone recording it on their phone.

Plus, for the last three years Game of Thrones has been the most pirated television show in the world.

Harming DVD sales

According to Torrentfreak, fans in the UK are leading the pack when it comes to watching the new goings on in Westeros.

The production companies behind major television, film and music releases say it hurts the merchandise and DVD/album sales when things are leaked which means they can't plough money back into the industry.

But if you look at the stats, which have only just been released by the Official Charts Company, season four's complete box set is number six on the bestseller list.

The Extras

Game of Thrones employs tens of thousands of people in production plus cast and crew.

Plus it has helped with tourism in some of the countries it has been shot in, including Belfast.

But if the sales figures for DVDs and Blu-rays go down as a result of people watching the shows on bit torrents, then it could affect employment on sets.

Spoilers alert

The biggest worry, for fans, is that those who have watched the leaked episodes will blab about plot lines on social media.

So far, not too much information seems to have been leaked, but the onset of a Google spoiler alert algorithm would make this a redundant worry in the future (if it's ever actually activated).

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