The upcoming episode of “Game of Thrones” has leaked online, only this time it’s not the fault of hackers.
The penultimate Season 7 episode, titled “Death is the Enemy,” was accidentally put on some of HBO’s European platforms. That exposure led to it getting passed around online.
“We have learned that the upcoming episode of Game of Thrones was accidentally posted for a brief time on the HBO Nordic and HBO España platforms. The error appears to have originated with a third party vendor and the episode was removed as soon as it was recognized. This is not connected to the recent cyber incident at HBO in the U.S.,” a spokesperson for HBO Europe said in a statement.
“Game of Thrones” is always a big target when it comes to online leaks, spoilers and even full episodes. However, Season 7 has been particularly plagued with high-profile incidents. The premium network was hacked, with people gaining access to proprietary information such as emails, episodes of “Insecure” and “Ballers,” and “Game of Thrones” scripts. The hackers claimed to have 1.5 terabytes of “sensitive data.”
A ransom letter released by hackers soon after the leak was reported included a synopsis for the show’s second episode, along with a video containing what appear to be descriptions of scenes from the fifth episode of “GoT” Season 7.
They then leaked an email from HBO that offered $250,000 as a “bounty payment” in response to the ransom letter.
The fifth episode, “The Spoils of War,” appeared on a Reddit thread featuring a “for internal viewing only” watermark with the logo for distribution partner Star India. Four people have reportedly been arrested in connection with the leak.
The leaks haven’t affected the show’s ratings. Sunday’s episode, “Eastwatch,” attracted 10.7 million viewers, setting a new record for the hugely popular HBO drama. Despite the “Spoils of War” leak, ratings were still up from the week before.
“Game of Thrones’” penultimate episodes each season always feature either a shocking death or a climactic battle. This year, a ragtag group is headed north beyond the Wall to face off against some White Walkers.