HBO's "Game of Thrones" is considered to be the most pirated TV show.
Pirated TV shows continue to mean lost revenues to TV content owners
-- and at the top of the list, the HBO drama is estimated to have seen some 4.3 million illegal downloads, costing some $170.7 million in revenue last year, according to TorrentFreak.
The
next-most-stolen TV show is another pay TV show: Showtime's "Dexter" at 3.9 million downloads. That lost the cabler $138.1 million in 2012.
The next two slots go to two broadcast network
shows from CBS: "The Big Bang Theory" at 3.2 million downloads, losing some $229.6 million, and "How I Met Your Mother" at 3.0 million downloads and $212.4 million in revenue lost.
Two
ad-supported cable shows come next from AMC Network: "Breaking Bad" at 2.58 million downloads and $100.3 million in revenue lost, and "The Walking Dead" with 2.58 million downloads and $99.1 million
in lost revenue.
Another Showtime drama is next -- "Homeland" at 2.55 million downloads and $86.1 million.
Fox's "House," which ended last season, is at 2.4 million and $153.9
million, and the network's still-on-the-air "Fringe" is at 2.34 million downloads and $150 million. NBC's first-year drama "Revolution" had 2.28 million downloads and $140.1 million.
The
data includes downloads up to mid-December 2012. Revenue estimates include pay-per-view, single episodes and HD format.
Some analysis says much of the entertainment piracy occurs in
international markets, where TV shows and other content do not have legal distribution.
Estimates from digital video company Ooyala say that if this download rate continued for each show
throughout a typical season, it would mean almost $1.5 billion in lost potential revenue just among the top 10 shows alone.
advertisement
advertisement