'Heroes' is most-pirated TV show of 2009

By Eriq Gardner

In 2008, pirates were obsessed with good vs. evil, making NBC's "Heroes" the most-pirated TV show of the year.

This year, the buzz is that the show may be on the verge of cancellation thanks to dwindling ratings (it averages about 6 million viewers a week, down from nearly 14 million when the show first premiered in 2006).

But "Heroes' continues to be a juggernaut in online piracy. According to Torrentfreak, "Heroes" was downloaded 6.58 million times in 2009, topping the year's most-pirated list.

The only other show in the top 10 that boasts fewer weekly viewers than total illegal sharers is Showtime's "Dexter," with about 2.3 million viewers and 2.78 million pirated downloads. (And Showtime is a pay cable service, of course.)

Here's the full list:

1. "Heroes" (NBC)

2. "Lost" (ABC)

3. "Prison Break" (Fox)

4. "Dexter" (Showtime)

5. "House" (Fox)

6. "24" (Fox)

7. "Desperate Housewives" (ABC)

8. "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles," (Fox)

9. "Grey's Anatomy" (ABC)

10. "True Blood" (HBO)

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Here's a bar graph that compares estimated downloads with estimated weekly TV viewership:

Comments

[Guest]

I understand the problem! I truly do .
But i also know the problem of living in a country were either the show doesn't get broadcasted at all or you gotta wait a year to see the show .
Most of my friends can watch the shows on channels that broadcasts the show like the main channel, were my tv channel wait almost a year to broadcast or never does.
I admit , i download yeah, but i can also truly prove that EVERY show i download, is on my shelve, brought in a store when the dvds comes out . PAID FOR!
People who has the chance to see the show on tv are the ones who shouldn't download, they are the killers, and reasaons of shows getting canceled .
And for me, yeah i could wait until it get broadcasted at me or gets on dvd, but what fun is that when all my friends already has seen it and there is NO ONE to talk to it about, then all know the end of the season already .

All i say, if it wasn't for illigal downloads, i don't think i'd EVER keep watching a show like . Cuz I would simply get hooked off from knowing the end before i start it from everything online that posts about the episodes before i get the chance to see it .

Maybe the providers should get people outside the countries that broadcasts shows the same time as the main channel, a chance to watch it? To pay a price to pay for it . Cuz right now, as long as you're outside the US, you can't watch online episodes .
Could solve a lot of the illigal downloads . I know myself, i'd gladly pay to watch my favourite shows if i could watch them the same pace as FOX, Showtime, ABC, NBC, HBO and all the others .

[Watching online]

Not to mention the risk of getting random spoilers for shows just by browsing the web. You can't shut random people online up about that stuff, so the best answer is to watch it asap.

[Anonymouth]

You can't steal something which is delivered over the air for free. VHS tape trading wasn't illegal, and neither is show trading. DVD ripping and trading is however, but public broadcast over the air capturing and dissemination is NOT stealing.

[jimbo]

About time the law was changed then eh?

Alternatively, the taxpayer should fund more prisons to house these demons. Many of whom are children BTW. Or adopt sharia law and just chop their hands off.

Oh the dilemma - how did they ever cope without copyright law. Its beyond comprehension for mortal man.

[Jin Uzuki]

Why would anyone want to pirate this show let alone watch it? It is one of the worst shows to ever grace television. It started off with a great deal of promise, but then got worse and worse with every passing episode/season.