While a TV show’s legitimate ratings will generally dip steadily after a premiere, it doesn’t look like there’s even a vague sign of a drop in pirated copies acquired by non-subscribers.
Episode 2 has already gotten beyond 6.4 million pirated views, while the third episode managed 4.6 million lawless downloads, according to The Daily Mail.
One one hand, there’s a modicum of pride to be gleaned from putting out a show that can retain an audience, but that’s definitely the wrong kind of audience.
Astoundingly, the first episode of The Grand Tour was illegally downloaded 7.9 million times in the past few weeks, which is slightly less than the Game of Thrones Season 5 finale racked up last year in its first week of release.