The 'House of the Dragon' season finale has arrived early — and not on HBO's terms

HBO is battling leaked content, again. This time, the season finale of the hit series "House of the Dragon" was prematurely distributed on the internet, The Times has confirmed.

On Friday, two days before its official HBO air date, the upcoming episode spread online, including on Twitter, where users circulated images and clips. An HBO spokesperson told The Times that the leak "appears to have originated from a distribution partner" in Europe, the Middle East or Africa.

"HBO is aggressively monitoring and pulling these copies from the internet," the spokesperson said in a statement.

"We’re disappointed that this unlawful action has disrupted the viewing experience for loyal fans of the show, who will get to see a pristine version of the episode when it premieres Sunday," the spokesperson added.

While the leak certainly surprised "House of the Dragon" fans on Friday, it's nothing new for HBO.

In the past, HBO's "Game of Thrones," particularly its final season, fell victim to leaks. Before the Emmy-winning series concluded its eight-season run in May 2019, a number of fans already knew how the series would end. Spoilers for the "Game of Thrones" series finale reportedly emerged on Reddit in a since-deleted post.

The "House of the Dragon" season finale will air on HBO and HBO Max on Sunday at 9 p.m.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.