Prepare yourself: The CEO of HBO's parent company recently said that being declared the most pirated television show in the world was better than winning an Emmy. No, you didn't slip into some kind of bizarro world while you were sleeping. Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes actually gave piracy a big thumbs up in response to an analyst question during the company's earnings call on Wednesday.
"If you go around the world, I think you're right, that Game of Thrones is the most pirated show in the world," Bewkes said. "Now that's better than an Emmy."
At least for now it is. You see, Bewkes' approach to piracy is that digital freeloaders actually lead to more subscribers for HBO down the road. In other words, piracy eventually brings in more revenue.
"We've been dealing with this issue for years at HBO…people have always been running wires down the back of apartment buildings and sharing with their neighbors," Bewkes, who served as HBO's chief from 1995-2002, said on Wednesday. "Our experience is, it all leads to more penetration, more paying subs [subscribers] and more health for HBO."
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