Game of Thrones 'the most pirated show of the year'

Peter Dinklage from Game of Thrones, one of the most downloaded shows of the year. Photo / Supplied

Epic HBO show Game of Thrones is on target to become the most downloaded television show of the year, and possibly of all time.

The second season of Game of Thrones, which screens on Sky TV's SoHo channel in New Zealand, has been downloaded around 25 million times since it began in April, according to a report by Forbes.com.

The fifth episode of the show was being downloaded approximately 2.5 million times a day after it aired, the report suggested.

"The fact that it's consistently at the top of the Piratebay's top 100 TV show chart seems like a pretty in-your-face leading indicator of the huge volume at which this is being shared," media analyst John Robinson told Forbes.

"It certainly appears to be the most pirated show of the year."

The show's first season was the second most downloaded TV show of 2011, with Dexter's sixth season scoring the top spot.

Forums suggested HBO needed to offer better online servicers to people who wanted to pay to watch the show - an issue satarised in this popular comic strip.

"Every time I download the new episode, I send HBO an email asking them where I can send them a dollar or two for the episode. They have yet to get back to me," said one Forbes reader.

Other downloaders suggested they wouldn't know about the show if it wasn't for downloading, and pointed out they'd still buy the blu-ray set once it was available.

Despite the show being a favourite among filesharers, Game of Thrones is winning increasing numbers of viewers on television, with almost four million tuning in on Sunday nights for a new episode in the US.

Last year's ratings were around 2.5 million per episode.

- Herald online