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The Most Pirated TV Shows of 2012 Are…

Dec. 28, 2012 6:05pm Jason Howerton

During Fox News’ “Studio B” on Friday, Trace Gallagher discussed a new report that reveals the most pirated, or illegally downloaded, TV shows of 2012. The report shows just how much of a problem pirating continues to be for the entertainment industry.

At number one, HBO’s “Game of Thrones” was downloaded 4.28 million times worldwide, followed by Showtime’s “Dexter” with 3.85 million downloads, CBS’ “The Big Bang Theory” (3.2 million downloads) and “How I Met Your Mother” and finally AMC’s “Breaking Bad.”

New Report Reveals the Most Pirated TV Shows of 2012

(Fox News)

We won’t ask whether you were a party to any illegal pirating of these shows, however, Fox Business Networks’ Gerri Willis pointed out that 80 percent of the downloads came from overseas.

There was also a very ironic aspect to the report on illegal downloads.

“Something we found in our research, very interesting here,” Willis said. “New data showing that employees at companies like Paramount Pictures, Warner Brothers, Disney, Sony Pictures — They’re all illegally downloading this material while at the same time their industry is calling for a stop to this.”

To watch Fox News’ full video report, click here.

Featured image via AP

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Comments (50)

cknapp
Posted on December 30, 2012 at 2:58pm
Interesting the Dexter is one of the mos pirated. It is also one of the more strictly controlled shows, that is it is hard to get legally unless you are a Showtime subscriber. If an episode of Dexter pops up on popular sites such as Hulu and other, they are quickly taken down no doubt due to to diligence of the Showtime legal department. iTunes does carry Dexter but it is one season behind, thus it is difficult to legally get the current season. Funny how people still manage to find a way to get stuff that is not readily available….I wonder how much Showtime could charge for each Current Season episode of Dexter on iTunes, I bet a premium of $5 per episode (more than most shows) would bring much revenue to Showtime AND cut down on pirating. Given a choice I suspect most people would rather obtain the files legally, and if the product is good enough people will pay a premium for good content.

You can restrict TV shows, guns, alcohol, but “the market” determines who gets what.

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- godane
  Posted on December 31, 2012 at 2:52am
  There are reasons some people pirate (like people that don’t have a dvr). I’m also one of the few people that ‘pirate’ stuff like gbtv/theblaze for archive purpose too. Glenn always says to burn to dvd or dvr it when was on fox. I helped getting most of this stuff thats not ondemand anymore on to archive.org. Now you will not be able to search it but if you know the url and the date of episodes you want you can find them.
  
  example: http://archive.org/details/GBTV_01_25_2012
  
  If you know of the date episode you want archive yourself you just change the GBTV_MM_DD_YEAR. I didn’t upload everything. But about 193 episodes are uploaded on there.
  
  Report this comment
abyrd
Posted on December 30, 2012 at 12:30pm
TV shows with the most selfish and unethical viewship are….

These people are stealing from the hardworking familys that cater the shows, run the camera, hold a mic, review a scene for continuity and more.

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ThoreauHD
Posted on December 29, 2012 at 7:55pm
They should use the piracy metrics that they’re gathering to increase funding to the show. Don’t bitch about it- use it. Why do you need to pay for nielson ratings when you have pirates telling you what people watch and what they don’t.

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JimNew
Posted on December 29, 2012 at 6:32pm
You mean people actually download this crap.

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RetiredAmericanNavyTaxpayer
Posted on December 29, 2012 at 4:30pm
Ahoy maties! For all your movie needs sail into http://thepiratebay.se/ for a pirates treasure of old film classics to camera copies of current hits. Yarrr!

For those whose TV needs aren’t being met by their cable providers there is a ‘tutti gratis’ site in Italy that has many programs available from season 1 episode 1 to the current date. http://eztv.it/search/
Bellissimo !! Ciao.

(This data is presented for educational purposes only and the support or condoning of the downloading of copyrighted or in any other way protected intellectual/proprietary material on the part of the poster should not be imferred.)

/sarc

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truthnstuff
Posted on December 29, 2012 at 12:47pm
Beam me up Scotty, there is not intelligent life down here.

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Ghandi was a Republican
Posted on December 29, 2012 at 12:36pm
Have people become this stupid? We have DVRs and they couldn’t be more simple. It’s like ‘texting’ has thrown a phone back to the telegraph age. What next? Morse code? There getting ready to force chinese made led lights on us that will throw us back to whale oil for lamps so we can actually see at night.

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- Pontiaku
  Posted on December 29, 2012 at 7:47pm
  “Paying” for a DVR. Now that’s stupid.
  
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txjb
Posted on December 29, 2012 at 12:03pm
I will not sleep at night knowing this .

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sta
Posted on December 29, 2012 at 9:54am
All I would be willing to download is Gaki no Tsuaki, Doctor Who and BBCs Sherlock Holmes.
American tv sucks.

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- cackyy
  Posted on December 29, 2012 at 11:40am
  Elementery, Dexter, Homeland, The Mentalist? Someone’s idiocy is showing.
  
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GuruMeditation
Posted on December 29, 2012 at 9:21am
None of them are worth the effort or the risk. Well, unless you’re a moron.

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- ThoreauHD
  Posted on December 29, 2012 at 7:53pm
  This is true. Morons get caught. The rest don’t.
  
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shorelineliz
Posted on December 29, 2012 at 7:39am
Except for Big Bang Theory these other shows are crap.

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- Paool
  Posted on December 29, 2012 at 10:10am
  Bazinga
  
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media-bias-steals-elections
Posted on December 29, 2012 at 7:34am
Having a college degree is probably a requirement working for one of those companies? So that means if they are downloading them at work, they are probably watching them too? Popcorn anyone?

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Guy_From_Michigan
Posted on December 29, 2012 at 2:14am
Its funny that its OK for Liberals to get rich and do everything they can do not to pay much in taxes but if a conservative makes a buck its a sin!

We have 2 DVR’s in our home but the only show I record is The Big Bang Theory, watch some Fox news now and then. The rest of the time (including now) I watch Netflix. There is nothing new worth watching!

Here is what I think, when the studios try and make to charge to much money people download pirated instead of buying it. I like iTunes for music, but its to expensive for movies or TV shows. Why does it have to cost so much? iTunes wants as much for a downloaded movie as I can get a DVD in the store for. They have no cost in producing the DVD, and they are not paying a store a cut to sell it. Even their rentals are outrageous!

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Libertyluvnmomma
Posted on December 29, 2012 at 12:36am
my crummy internet provided only allows a certain gig.
so no pirated movies etc. for me.

I guess I’ll thank my crummy provider now.
the electronic age certainly requires moral thoughts.
Even downloading anything with a copy write is wrong. Unless, it is music/movies you bought and put on your computer.
in my book wrong, not necessarily illegal.

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HappyConservative
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 11:32pm
I don’t watch either of those 3 shows. I must be out of touch or something. LOL.

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- sta
  Posted on December 29, 2012 at 9:59am
  You’re like me.
  I don’t watch American tv at all. Gaki no Tskuai and Doctor Who in our house.
  
  We have to watch both online. Fine with me. I don’t pay 60.00 a month for cable.
  
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Smokey_Bojangles
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 10:36pm
Unless CBS has a cable network,I would not consider that pirated. I would call that a “VCR Alternative.”

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KyleD
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 9:52pm
Those are all shows that can’t be found on netflix or hulu. I suggest if they want to reduce the piracy make it available on one of those formats.

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falcora
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 8:17pm
An interesting observation I had is that none of these shows are available for free via ad supported methods such as hulu or the networks own website. Most shows on Fox, ABC, NBC, etc. are available for free from hulu or their websites within 24 hours of airing. I guess they pay for them with ads. Still beats sitting though 20 minutes of commercials per hour with live TV.

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Kupo
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 7:53pm
I myself pirate three of those five shows. Dexter season 7 was awesome; can’t wait for Game of Thrones season 3 and Breaking Bad season 5.5

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- loneindividual
  Posted on December 28, 2012 at 10:17pm
  Most of the people on TheBlaze or InfoWars probably pirate something.
  
  Hollywood is pissed.
  
  I still went to go watch The Hobbit. (Dwarf = Israelite, Gold = Israel…or some other conspiracy theory)
  
  Good movie. Good message. I enjoyed most of it…except the “liberties” that were taken.
  
  I still prefer some of the original animate version over what they put in the movie.
  
  Report this comment
- SweetDoug
  Posted on December 29, 2012 at 1:28pm
  ‘
  ‘
  ‘
  What people are missing is this: A “pirated” TV show, that could well be available, Over-The-Air, for free–Remember that? TV used to be free? That’s why we had “Ads” to pay for it? Then they brought in Cable in the 70′s that promised no advertising, because “YOU” “PAID” for it. Kind of like when they brought in “Self-Serve” gas and it was cheaper, because “YOU PAID” or rather, “DID YOUR OWN PUMPING.”
  
  And guess what? They sneaky-weaseled the price up to the regular price.
  
  SCREW’EM.
  
  I’m tired of the @#$% ads, and I like sitting there, watching a show, with out losing 20 minutes of my life for ads, being able to shut it off and grab a beer or whatever.
  
  That’s the problem. These pirated shows? They’ve got no adverstising in them. These corp’s are foot-stamping mad about how we’re finally turning the tables on them. And they want this shut down. The elites want to take the power back and the Internet is the big problem.
  
  BTW, you know you’re hooked on your ROKU or WDMC, when you’re frantically trying to pause the TV show, and suddenly realize, even sober, that it’s a cable show, not a pirated one.
  
  •∆•
  V-V
  
  Report this comment
TLS_SN
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 7:38pm
I find it funny that the “source” for this information isn’t provided by the blaze or fox. Thank torrent freak one again for the information.

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FISH_BONE
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 7:25pm
Do the numbers take into consideration the hours and hours Barry spends watching Gilligan’s Island while enjoying a Choom break in the Oval?

Biden: “Ginger or MaryAnn?”
Barry: “Neither. The Skipper in a hot bathhouse.”
Biden: “Pass the Doritos”

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- teacherbil
  Posted on December 28, 2012 at 11:15pm
  Golden!
  
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Dano.50
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 7:25pm
Yeah, Rjjingadsden,

Aren’t all the Hollywood types about sharing the wealth?

Why should any in that industry be mad that the poor can now get Hollywood products for free?

I just spent a couple years in the Bahamas and Honduras, and you couldn’t go ten feet without finding some guy selling “Still in Theater” movie cds on the street.

I’d say Hollywood’s been hoist by their own petard.

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- RJJinGadsden
  Posted on December 28, 2012 at 8:14pm
  DANO.50, Spot on! I in no way envy their wealth. We are both pointing out their . hypocrisy.
  
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- Balpit
  Posted on December 28, 2012 at 11:45pm
  Sharing the wealth is only bad when Hollywood can’t benefit from it.
  Capitalism is bad except when Hollywood is benefiting from it.
  
  Report this comment
Lets-do-it
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 7:06pm
Its Bush’s fault!!!!!

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- Chromo200
  Posted on December 28, 2012 at 11:32pm
  Which Bush?
  
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- MacWell
  Posted on December 29, 2012 at 6:24am
  It doesn’t matter, all Bush’s are bad.
  
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Locked
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 6:31pm
I wonder if this includes streaming as well as downloading? I would guess so, although that must be difficult to trace.

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- BigSky
  Posted on December 28, 2012 at 6:49pm
  Those internet users with non-US IP addresses can’t watch streaming content from sites like AMC, Showtime or HBO, etc. This is why 80% of the downloads are from overseas. Depending on the country, some viewers overseas would see first run episodes a week to six months after US viewers see them.
  
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- Quagmir
  Posted on December 28, 2012 at 7:46pm
  I pay for my Dish Network and watch the shows but I also like a digital copy for later. It may be an excuse but its the same as popping in a VCR tape back in the day in my mind. I just now keep it on a hard drive instead.
  
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RJJinGadsden
Posted on December 28, 2012 at 6:24pm
Gee, don’t you just feel sorry for those capitalistic Hollywierd types who express hate for capitalism!

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- The-Monk
  Posted on December 28, 2012 at 6:33pm
  Hi RJJ,
  
  Wow !!!! I’ve never even heard of the 1st 2. LOL
  
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- Wojciech W.
  Posted on December 28, 2012 at 6:38pm
  haha Amen, I wonder how many of those ppl are the 99%?.
  
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- gyro
  Posted on December 28, 2012 at 6:39pm
  get with the program Monk
  
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- lassiegirldawn
  Posted on December 28, 2012 at 6:45pm
  OMG, don’t you know your profile picture can kill somebody. How dare we post something that evil on the internet. By the way, I love it!!!!!
  
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- Joey Odendahl
  Posted on December 28, 2012 at 6:50pm
  Well keep in mind that it’s not just big-time producers and actors who are hurt by piracy. The crew workers (who are not necessarily part of the liberal elite class) are harmed too.
  
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- bava
  Posted on December 28, 2012 at 7:07pm
  “Liberal elite class” Are you people serious? I come here for the laughs. Thank you for providing one.
  
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- RJJinGadsden
  Posted on December 28, 2012 at 8:24pm
  BAVA, LOL, you are the only one on this thread who mentioned “The Liberal Elite Class.” You are quite the laugh yourself. Okay, having read your other posts as many have, that is something of an overstatement.
  
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- RJJinGadsden
  Posted on December 28, 2012 at 8:28pm
  JOEY ODENDAHL, Since you are in the movie industry, just how did that tiny tidbit of sarcasm fly over your head that fast?
  
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