HBO, Committed to Preventing Game of Thrones Leaks, Denies Critics Advance Screenings

Following suit with their unconventional move last season, HBO will once again deny critics advance screenings of Game of Thrones season seven, EW reports.

Normally, networks will send critics episodes of scripted shows for them to review in advance. HBO did the same with Game of Thrones, up until the first four episodes of season five were leaked two years ago.The episodes became available on BitTorrent ahead of their official premiere thanks to a wayward copy sent to press and industry insiders.

With Jon Snow’s fate up in the air, HBO took no chances with season six and decided against any pre-screenings, and are now doing the same for season seven. Considering the scope of GoT—it is HBO’s all-time most popular series, the most pirated series in the world and currently the most expensive show on television—the network’s fear of leaks is legitimate, especially in the series’ penultimate season.

While it may be disappointing news for TV critics, hopefully HBO’s move will keep the spoilers away until the season seven premiere on July 16. Revisit the show’s latest trailer here.