Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen in House of the Dragon.
- TorrentFreak released its annual list of the most-pirated TV shows globally in 2022.
- Game of Thrones spin-off House of the Dragon takes the top spot, followed by The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power in second place.
- “What stands out most about the Top 10 is that it’s entirely made up of newcomers,” says TorrentFreak.
Fantasy TV series ruled the robbers’ roost last year with HBO’s House of the Dragon, which rose to become 2022’s most-pirated TV show, followed by Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power in second place.
TorrentFreak has tabulated and released its annual list of most-pirated TV shows globally in 2022.
In 2020 The Mandalorian from Disney+ held the top spot, and in 2021 it went to Wandavision, also on Disney+, but both disappeared from the list in 2022 since neither series released new episodes in 2022.
“What stands out most about the Top 10 is that it’s entirely made up of newcomers,” says TorrentFreak.
“With the current streaming landscape being so fragmented, it is no surprise that streaming exclusives dominate the list today. Apparently, many people see piracy as an alternative to taking out yet another subscription.”
HBO’s House of the Dragon, which aired on M-Net (DStv 101) and is available on Showmax, is the only show on the list which is a traditional, linear TV series.
Netflix has only one show on the list with Stranger Things, while Disney+, which finally launched in South Africa in 2022, dominates the list with five series in the top 10.
Despite the absence of The Mandalorian, LucasFilm’s Star Wars remains a dominant force in the TV pirate world, with three Star Wars TV series on the list: Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Book of Boba Fett, as well as Andor.
Last year also marked the first year that all of the most-pirated shows in the world on the list were legitimately available to South African viewers through available streaming services.
Here’s TorrentFreak’s compiled list of 2022’s Top 10 most-pirated shows:
1. House of the Dragon, HBO
2. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Amazon Prime Video
3. The Boys, Amazon Prime Video
4. Moon Knight, Disney+
5. Halo, Paramount+
6. Obi-Wan Kenobi, Disney+
7. The Book of Boba Fett, Disney+
8. Stranger Things, Netflix
9. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Disney+
10. Andor, Disney+
