Disney’s The Mandalorian has topped the list of the most-pirated shows of 2020, beating out The Boys for the title. The series has been immensely popular since it first kicked off back in 2019, and the recently concluded second season provided answers to at least some of the lingering questions that fans have had since The Mandalorian season 1.
With the acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2012, Disney entered into a new era of entertainment. Cinematically, the Star Wars franchise had seemingly reached its completion in 2005 with the conclusion of George Lucas’ prequel trilogy. The concept of a live-action TV series based within the Star Wars universe had long been rumored, but nothing concrete had ever been established. With Disney at the helm, Star Wars not only kickstarted a sequel trilogy (and has since taken steps toward yet another Star Wars trilogy), but the beloved sci-fi franchise has also taken TV by storm. With the help of Jon Favreau, The Mandalorian has given rise to some of the most exciting moments that Star Wars has seen in years, and no fan of the franchise wants to miss out on any of it. A subscription is needed to watch the series on Disney+, but of course, it’s not the only way to keep up with Grogu and the gang.
As the new year kicks off, Star Wars fans are discovering that not only is The Mandalorian one of the most popular TV series’ going, but it’s also gained the arguably dubious honor of being the most pirated TV series of 2020. According to Torrent Freak, The Mandalorian ranked number one when it came to listing the most pirated TV shows of the past year. Back in 2019 when the series first started, it only managed to rank as the third most popular series for illegal downloaders. For years, the title had been held by Game of Thrones, but this year’s race ended with The Mandalorian gaining the upper hand over The Boys. HBO’s Westworld took the list’s third spot.
Obviously, the popularity of The Mandalorian, as well as the status of Baby Yoda, made for a demand so substantial that not just Disney+ subscribers had to see what all the fuss was about. The fact that so many people spent the majority of 2020 under lockdown thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic also likely played a major factor in the piracy increase. At present, fans are already counting down the days until The Mandalorian season 3 kicks off, and as the series’ renown continues to grow, it’s hard to imagine its piracy rate dwindling. Game of Thrones, for example, held on to the title of most downloaded show for seven straight years.
As subscription streaming services continue to use licensing to monopolize popular programs and films, customers are continuously faced with the issue of paying for numerous services. This becomes especially problematic with a corporation like Disney, as it owns so many of the most popular titles in the world. Piracy may not be legal, but for those who can’t afford several different streaming services – particularly during what was a rough financial year, it’s literally the only way to watch shows as popular as The Mandalorian.
Source: Torrent Freak
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