Viewers who plan to watch Game of Thrones episode live online this week will be keeping their fingers crossed that HBO Go will run smoother than it did during the premiere.
Heavy demand for the streaming video stressed out the HBO network last week, causing video of the “Two Swords” episode to crash. The broadcast itself drew 6.6 million viewers, but those hoping to watch on computers and mobile devices were left frustrated.
This week they will have another chance to watch Game of Thrones live online, as the second episode of the year will also be streaming on HBO Go . The episode airs at 9 pm ET.
An HBO subscription is required in order to watch the episode, but it doesn’t necessarily need to belong to the person watching the episode online. While the network’s CEO Richard Plepler said he doesn’t encourage people sharing authentication passwords, he said he’s not overly concerned about it.
The network will now see if it can build one the record viewership that turned out for the Game of Thrones Season 4 premiere. HBO offered a synopsis of the episode, titled “The Lion and the Rose,” which reads:
“Tyrion lends Jaime a hand. Joffrey and Margaery host a breakfast. At Dragonstone, Stannis loses patience with Davos. Ramsay finds a purpose for his pet. North of the Wall, Bran sees where they must go.”
Fans of the show will have plenty more to come, as HBO announced during last week’s premiere that Game of Thrones would be renewed for two more seasons.
“ Game of Thrones is a phenomenon like no other,” HBO’s president of programming, Michael Lombardo, said in a statement. “David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, along with their talented collaborators, continue to surpass themselves, and we look forward to more of their dazzling storytelling.”
But fans will be watching cautiously. Last week’s crash wasn’t the only time HBO Go has failed, as it happened again during the True Detective finale.
Viewers who want to watch the Game of Thrones episode live online can click here for HBO Go .
