Sky Plays Silly Buggers With Game of Thrones

Sky TV this morning revealed it would premiere season two of Game of Thrones online two weeks ahead of its satellite TV debut on SoHo.

SoHo subscribers can watch the first episode on iSky within 24 hours of HBO screening it in the US, on April 3, but will have to wait another two weeks for its Channel 10 launch.

SoHo will open season two with a double-episode at 8.30pm on April 16, with subsequent episodes airing seven days after their HBO premiere.

“We are delighted to launch the series on SoHo so soon after the international premiere,” SoHo channel manager Mike Radics said in a statement.

“And after last season’s shocking conclusion, we understand fans have a huge desire to catch up with their favourite characters as quickly as possible, which is why we’re offering the advance preview as an added bonus to SoHo subscribers.”

Kudos to Sky for bringing not just Game of Thrones but also other premium drama series, like Mad Men, season five of which also starts in April, to SoHo so soon after their US air dates.

But making HD Ticket subscribers, who already are being charged extra for the SoHo service, wait two weeks longer for the satellite premiere beggars belief.

No doubt Sky is worried the show’s popularity makes it vulnerable to illegal downloading. But if so, why not screen it on linear TV within 24 hours of HBO’s launch?

Game of Thrones looks fabulous in HD. It’s because of the stunning production values of shows like this that many of us subscribe to SoHo — and we should be able to see it in its full glory the same time Sky makes it available online.

In short, I want to see Game of Thrones on MySky+, not iSky-.