Ah, HBO is having a good run with this season, aren’t they? After constant hacking and episode leaks for the entire season, Spain airing episode 6 ahead of schedule probably isn’t what it needed right now.
Yet here we are.
Reddit user Kingrdgz posted a screenshot of the episode – you can see it here, if you want – I won’t spoil it for you.
Yes, Episode 6 of #GameofThrones has leaked, thanks to HBOSpain. Please use caution on social media- spoilers/images are popping up already.
— Watchers on the Wall (@WatchersOTWall) August 16, 2017
Turns out the episode was briefly available through both HBO Nordic and HBO Spain’s streaming services. Only a low quality livestream was initially available, but a full quality upload soon made its way online.
Asked for comment, an HBO spokesperson blamed the error on a third party vendor. HBO would not comment further on the nature of the third party vendor. Here’s their statement in full:
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 recognised. This is not connected to the recent cyber incident at HBO in the U.S.
So far, the hackers have released full episodes of several HBO shows, including Ballers, Room 104, Insecure, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Barry and The Deuce, but only unreleased episode outlines of Game of Thrones have popped up online as a result of the hackers. And a previous episode of Game of Thrones that was uploaded ahead of its scheduled time was allegedly leaked by employees at an India-based company that stores and processes shows.
A statement from HBO on Monday suggested that the streaming service has grown exasperated by the leaks, with the network saying the hackers “may continue to drop bits and pieces of stolen information in an attempt to generate media attention. That’s a game we’re not going to participate in.”