Planet Earth will become Planet Westeros this spring, as the Game of Thrones season 5 premiere simulcasts across the globe.
In a move HBO is calling “unprecedented,” the live broadcast will reach 170 countries simultaneously. The simulcast will begin on Sunday, April 12 at 9:00 p.m. EST, so Game of Thrones fans across the world can enjoy the epic episode with breakfast, lunch, dinner, and midnight snack.
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And the simulcast isn’t limited to the season premiere, titled “The Wars to Come.” Many HBO networks and affiliates will broadcast each new episode of Game of Thrones season 5 with its American debut.
HBO’s president of programming Michael Lombardo was enthusiastic about the new endeavor.
“We are thrilled to see our international partners jumping on board to bring Game of Thrones, one of the most universally loved television shows in the world, to global audiences at the same time,” Lombardo said. “It’s going to be a great season.”
International HBO markets, including Asia, Latin America, Canada, Europe, and Nordic, are all in on the “game.” Affiliate networks in Africa and individual countries – Italy, France, Israel, Australia, and Germany, to name only a few – will also be simulcasting new episodes with east coast time.
How the global community will cope with exhausted employees’ plummeting productivity rates on subsequent Mondays remains to be seen. Valar Dohaeris, and all that.
Excitement for Game of Thrones season is steadily building as the April premiere draws closer. Early episode titles have recently been released, along with an intriguing season poster and brief but blissfully uninterrupted clips from the season premiere.
And just yesterday, a genuinely juicy new trailer for Game of Thrones season 5 debuted at the Apple summit, along with news of ridiculously expensive watches.
All in all, Game of Thrones season 5 is shaping up to be one of the most intriguing and unpredictable yet – and we’re still more than a month from Go Time.
Game of Thrones season 5 premieres on Sunday, April 12 at 9:00 p.m. on ABC.