HBO has released a statement regarding the leak of many Game of Thrones episodes prior to season 5’s TV debut, though curiously it has opted to target livestreaming app Periscope, despite only “dozens” of streams appearing online via the platform.
The leak of the first four episodes of the hugely popular show’s new season was one of the largest acts of piracy in TV broadcasting history, prompting many GoT fans to watch a month’s worth of HBO programming in a single sitting on sites illegally hosting the episodes. However, while HBO is launching an internal investigation into how the episodes were leaked in the first place, the broadcaster seems to be less concerned with the multitude of torrents and streams available online, and more worried about the newly released livestreaming app Periscope.
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A spokeswoman for HBO made a statement regarding the relatively small amount of Game of Thrones streams made available on the platform, saying: “We are aware of Periscope and have sent takedown notices. In general, we feel developers should have tools which proactively prevent mass copyright infringement from occurring on their apps and not be solely reliant upon notifications.”
The streams available on Periscope could not have been of high quality, given that the app only allows users to stream video footage directly from their mobile device, with it therefore not being the preferable method of watching the new episodes. The small amount of streams that were available to view on the service, though, seems to have caused more of a stir with HBO than the millions of BitTorrent downloads of the episodes that took place.
Despite HBO’s qualms, Periscope’s co-founder Kayvon Beykpour doesn’t believe that it is the ideal way to watch pirated content, and therefore concerns about it being used as a way for pirated material to be broadcast are unnecessary. Speaking to The Age, Beykpour said: “I just don’t think that Periscope, as much as I love it, is a compelling way to watch a theatrical premiere of a movie, a Game of Thrones release, a soccer match, an NBA match.
“Of course someone is going to open up their phone and stream this stuff, but that’s not a compelling way for people to engage.”
HBO could be worried that periscope will be used to broadcast Mayweather vs. Pacquiao (Image: Getty)
While Beykpour is right in that Periscope is a very small, unsubstantial avenue in which piracy can take place, TorrentFreak points out that HBO’s statement may have been issued in order to put people off from using Periscope to broadcast an altogether more important event for the company (yes, even more important than a new season of Game of Thrones).
On May 2nd, HBO will broadcast Mayweather vs. Pacquiao alongside partners showtime, charging $89.95 for the event. Though it would be unlikely that Periscope piracy could have an impact upon PPV sales, HBO will want to prevent the high possibility of videos of key moments in the fight, such as a knockout, being distributed among boxing fans. Though Periscope isn’t an ideal format for pirating an hour-long drama, it could certainly be utilized to share a short clip of a knockout punch.
It remains to be seen whether or not HBO will forcefully pursue its issue with Periscope, though if the app is used to distribute highlights of the upcoming ‘Fight of the Century,’ this could certainly become a bigger issue than expected.
