Sky to simulcast GAME OF THRONES season 4 premiere

I'm a fan of Game of Thrones, but I won't be staying up until 0100hrs on Monday morning to watch the fourth season premiere. During their launch of the popular fantasy drama, Sky announced that the first episode will be simulcast with HBO's East Coast airing, before its usual broadcast on Monday at 2100hrs.

As one of the most pirated TV shows in the world, maybe this will help alleviate that? Well, it can't hurt, but I think piracy will always thrive amongst the people who don't have legal access to something.

Sky Atlantic is still a channel few British people enjoy, so there's still a desire to pirate the show if you're not a Sky subscriber. However, the recent introduction of Sky's NOW TV box/app (£9.99 to buy, £34.99 per month to subscribe to 10 Sky entertainment channels) may be a bigger deterrent than simultaneous broadcasting.

Although it's still hard to beat the appeal of torrents, which are 100% free and increasingly quick to download as broadband speeds improve.

What do you think? Is simulcasting a clever idea by Sky, or a gimmick only GoT cosplayers will care about? Are you yet convinced to subscribe to Sky for its entertainment offerings exclusive to the satellite platform? Is Sky's NOW TV box the answer to a lot of problems? Or will you just download a torrent because they're fast, reliable, and of good quality?