Game of Thrones premiered its first episode of season 5 on HBO Sunday night – but not before the episode and three more from the latest season were leaked online.

Game Of Thrones Leak

On Saturday night, one day before the season five premiere, the first four episodes of the medieval fantasy series appeared on the Internet in standard quality. Within the first three hours of being online, the leaked Game of Thrones episodes were downloaded more than 100,000 times.

In an effort to fend off pirating, HBO made Game of Thrones – the most pirated show in the world – available to those who don’t subscribe to the premium cable channel through HBO Now and Sling TV, bringing the show to fans in 170 countries.

After looking into the leak, HBO issued a statement to address the issue. “Sadly, it seems the leaked four episodes of the upcoming season of Game of Thrones originated from within a group approved by HBO to receive them,” HBO said.  We’re actively assessing how this breach occurred.”

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Previously, Game of Thrones producer Greg Spence revealed the efforts the cast and crew go to in an effort to avoid leaks that could hamper the finances of the show, which costs up to $10 million an episode to make.

“The cast is looping all over the world, sending files back and forth,” Spence told the Denver Post. “Artists are working in special-effects houses all over the world. The files are watermarked, and editors have to confirm in writing that they’ve deleted them.”