Last year Australian pay TV company Foxtel signed a deal with HBO to become the exclusive provider for Game of Thrones.
This means that the popular TV-show will not be available online through other channels such as iTunes, a decision that may increase local piracy rates.
Foxtel, for their part, sees the move as an important strategy to gain more subscribers. Looking forward to the fifth season of Game of Thrones, which starts this April, the company put up a teaser last Friday.
“We hope you’re hanging onto the edge of your iron throne, because Game of Thrones is back…,” writes Foxtel in an airing schedule announcement.
The article on Foxtel’s official site also includes a copy of the trailer for the fifth season. However, those who try to play the embedded YouTube video are in for a disappointment.
“This video contains content from Home Box Office (Singapore) Pte Ltd, who has blocked it in your country on copyright grounds,” YouTube notes.
The Game of Thrones trailer Foxtel links to is claimed by HBO Singapore, which means that it can only be viewed in the Asian country and not in Australia, America, the UK or elsewhere.
The video in question was likely flagged by accident as it makes little sense to put geographical restrictions on global trailers, which have the sole purpose to promote the show.
HBO’s actions are not only a problem for Foxtel and the tvpromosdb channel they linked to, but also for the dozens of other YouTube users that had the trailers taken down.
While some appreciate the irony of a blocked trailer on Foxtel’s website, it’s mostly sad to see yet another example of the mess that copyright holders make in YouTube’s Content-ID system.
