‘The Mandalorian’ Nabs ‘Game of Thrones’ Spot as the Most Pirated Show of 2020

By Claire Spellberg @c_spellberg
Published Jan. 4, 2021, 9:10 a.m. ET

Where to Stream:

The Mandalorian

Powered by Reelgood

More On:

The Mandalorian

Disney+ may want to lock down its content. According to TorrentFreak, The Mandalorian was the most-pirated show of 2020 across various torrenting sites. Congratulations, Baby Yoda!

The Mandalorian‘s pirating supremacy brings an end to Game of Thrones‘ years-long reign as the most illegally streamed show on the internet. For years, Game of Thrones was the most-pirated series atop TorrentFreak’s annual list, but the series finale in 2019 created a power vacuum that The Mandalorian  happily filled. While TorrentFreak did not provide any statistics or download figures — the site says that “the ranking is based on several sources, including statistics reported by public BitTorrent trackers” — it revealed that The Mandalorian jumped two spots from 2019 to 2020.

Other titles on TorrentFreak’s list of the most-pirated TV shows of 2020 include The Boys, which made its first appearance in the rankings; Westworld Season 3, another newcomer; and Vikings, which held its fourth-place spot.

Of course, with no hard data, TorrentFreak’s list should be taken with a grain of salt, but it does seem to capture the fragmented nature of the streaming television landscape in 2020. The Mandalorian, The Boys, and Westworld all air on different streaming services (Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, and HBO or HBO Max, respectively), each of which charges a distinct subscription fee. Despite cord-cutters’ initial hopes, these fees add up — subscribing to just these three services will cost you a total of $31/month — pushing many viewers towards the world of illegal streaming and torrenting.

TorrentFreak’s list also reflects the diverse options available across television. While the top three titles skew towards the action or sci-fi genres, animated comedy Rick and Morty and The CW dramas like Arrow and The Flash have also popular with torrenters, as well. If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that there truly is something for everyone when it comes to streaming — legally or not.

Check out TorrentFreak’s full list of the most-pirated shows of 2020 below:

  1. The Mandalorian (Disney+)
  2. The Boys (Amazon Prime Video)
  3. Westworld (HBO/HBO Max)
  4. Vikings (History)
  5. Star Trek: Picard (CBS All Access)
  6. Rick and Morty (Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim)
  7. The Walking Dead (AMC)
  8. The Outsider (HBO/HBO Max)
  9. Arrow (The CW)
  10. The Flash (The CW)

Where to stream The Mandalorian