We may still be reveling in the aftermath of the season three premiere last Sunday, but there's more "Game of Thrones" news that's got fans looking toward the future. HBO has just announced that the epic series will be renewed for 10 new episodes to premiere next year.
The news doesn't come as much of a surprise, but it still rings a pleasant tune in fans' ears. The "Game of Thrones" season three premiere on Sunday received series-high ratings and proved that it will remain the network's biggest cash cow for the foreseeable future. It's predicted that the blood-drenched, vicious dragon-breeding show could pass "True Blood" as HBO's most popular show.
The fourth season will be based on the latter half of George R. R. Martin's third book "A Storm of Swords." The first half is portrayed in the current season three, but the book proved too lengthy for the show to capture in a single season. With all this in mind, it would be dumbfounding if HBO did not decide to renew the series for a fourth season.
In addition to the network's ratings, the show is also making a splash off the grid. The Sunday night premiere set the record as the most pirated television episode of all time. Piracy tracker TorrentFreak said that more than 1 million viewers downloaded the episode within the 24 hours following its HBO premiere. At one point, more than 163,000 people were simultaneously sharing a single torrent. Last year's season two of "Game of Thrones" was the most pirated show of 2012. TorrentFreak estimates that 4.3 million people downloaded the season finale last year.
Although piracy is a touchy subject, it proves that the demand for more dragons is high. Between its illegal downloading and rating records, it can be said that "Game of Thrones" is currently HBO's most prized entity. They should hold tight and not let go. Fans are dying to know who will ultimately rule the Iron Throne, and in this day in age, the thought of picking up a book and reading past the first opening passages is too daunting for a task for television viewers. So please, HBO, don't let go of a good thing.
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