Will Chinese fans be the last to know how Game of Thrones ends?
- Tencent Video, which has exclusive distribution rights to the show in China, says delay caused by ‘media transfer issue’
Chinese fans of Game of Thrones were in an uproar on Monday after Tencent Video, one of the country’s biggest streaming video service providers, postponed until further notice the showing of the final episode of the hit HBO show because of a technical issue.
The delay was announced by Tencent Video, a unit of internet giant Tencent Holdings, an hour before the episode’s scheduled broadcast at 9am on Monday.
Tencent Video obtained exclusive distribution rights in China for Game of Thrones in 2014 from US cable and satellite television network HBO.
“Dear users, we regret to inform you that the sixth episode of the eighth season of Game of Thrones cannot go online at the intended time due to a media transfer issue,” said one of Tencent Video’s official accounts on Chinese microblogging service Weibo. “We will keep you informed of the broadcast time.”
Hong Kong-listed Tencent said it had no response beyond the official comment posted on Weibo.
The delay swiftly sparked an uproar online by Chinese Game of Throne fans, including from many Tencent Video subscribers who asked for a refund from the streaming video operator. These subscribers pay 15 yuan (US$2.17) each month, or 198 yuan (US$28.66) a year, to access exclusive shows like Game of Thrones on Tencent Video.
“Who can tell me what media transfer issue is?” one subscriber complained on Weibo. “Tencent Video want us to renew membership after this?”
Some blamed the delay on the ongoing trade dispute between China and the US, while others shared their suspicion that the final episode of the show was under censorship.