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A new HBO's deal with local cable TV provider Foxtel for the hit show Game of Thrones could see the Australian piracy rate for the show hit record levels.

The piracy rate for the show is already at record highs in Australia, a country with a small population but where its Internet users are always at the top of the Game of Thrones piracy charts.

For example, Australia beat the US and UK to be ranked number one when it came to pirating the the final episode of season 3. It was a remarkable "achievement" for a country that has fewer people than the state of Texas. 

But with a new deal that will see new season 4 episodes of GoT being made exclusively available to cable TV provider Foxtel, even more fans of the show may seek illegal ways to get their Thrones fix. Unlike previous seasons, HBO's deal with Foxtel will now prohibit the likes of iTunes and local digital outlets like QuickFlix from making available new episodes until after the last episode of season 4 has been aired on Foxtel. 

In addition, the channel that carries new episodes of GoT is not part of the standard Foxtel package. The minimum amount a Foxtel cable subscriber has to pay to access the channel is a hefty $USD 67 per month. An Internet streaming only based subscription to access the channel containing Game of Thrones would still set back viewers $USD 47 per month (Internet access and bandwidth charges are not included). 

Given these new restrictions, it's very likely that the piracy rate for the new season will be even higher, which may prompt the new conservative government of Australia to take action. The Game of Thrones piracy problem has already made political headlines in recent times, when the U.S. Ambassador to Australia called on "Aussies" to stop "stealing" the show.