HBO is taking an extreme measure to prevent the new ‘Game of Thrones’ episodes from leaking online

Courtesy of HBO

The next season of "Game of Thrones" will be so secretive that not even journalists will see it ahead of its April 24 premiere date.

Entertainment Weekly reports there will not be any DVD or digital online screeners sent out to press or Hollywood insiders ahead of the premiere. Tech Insider confirmed the report with HBO.

“We’re not sending out press copies this year, anywhere in the world,” HBO programming president Michael Lombardo told EW. “There will be no copies for review.”

Normally, a select group of television reporters will receive screeners of TV episodes ahead of the show's air date to write reviews. It’s common for networks to send out review episodes for big shows like “The Walking Dead,” “Gotham,” and other series.

But you can't blame HBO — "Game of Thrones" is the most pirated series on television, and it's a title the HBO show has held since 2012.

In previous years, HBO has sent out review copies of several episodes before the new season has kicked off. Ahead of season four, journalists received the first four episodes of the new season on DVDs showcasing Tyrion and Daenerys's dragon, Drogon.

Courtesy of HBO

All four of those episodes leaked online by the time the show premiered April 12 last year. 

In February, an HBO representative informed Tech Insider the network may release one to two episode screeners, but it appears the move to not release any advanced screeners to the press was made to prevent potential leaks.

“It’s painful for [showrunners] Dan [Weiss] and David [Benioff when leaks happen],” Lombardo told EW. “When you have press copies, inevitably friends ask, ‘Can I see your copy?’ There are things that happen. We talked about the upsides and downsides. Some of the press are fans who might be disappointed, but they’ll understand.”

The upcoming season of "Game of Thrones" is arguably more anticipated than previous ones. Now that the show, based off George R.R. Martin's series "A Song of Ice and Fire," has caught up with the books, it's unclear exactly what direction the next season will go — try as we might to guess.

"Game of Thrones" will return to HBO April 24 at 9 p.m. Looks like we'll all be on the edge of our seats.

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