Game Of Thrones: New series to be simulcast in UK and US

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The first episode of the new series of Game Of Thrones will be broadcast at the same time in the UK and the US.

In America, season four of the HBO show will air at 21:00 Eastern Standard Time (EST) on Sunday 6 April, with Sky Atlantic broadcasting it in the UK at the same time, 02:00 BST on 7 April.

The UK channel will then repeat the show at 21:00 BST on Monday 7 April.

The simulcast was announced at the UK launch of the fourth series at London's Guildhall.

The new series carries the tagline Valar Morghulis, which means All Men Must Die, with two trailers released earlier this week.

Directors for the series include Michelle MacLaren, who has worked on Breaking Bad, and West Wing producer Alex Graves.

Sherlock co-creator Mark Gatiss, Gangs of New York's Roger Ashton-Griffiths and Homeland's Pedro Pascal are some of the names joining the cast.

At the premiere Sophie Turner, who plays Sansa Stark in the series, said the show's pilot was rejected by HBO and was reshot before being put into production.

However, Game Of Thrones has gone on to win numerous awards and nominations, including a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for outstanding drama series in all three seasons.

It was also named the most pirated TV show ever in 2013, according to TorrentFreak, with nearly six million people using file-sharing sites to download last season's finale.

Liam Cunningham, who plays Davos Seaworth, said he knew the show would be a success.

He said: "I read it [the script] and went, 'Jesus this is really cool'. I have no interest, genuinely, in fantasy and dragons and all that sort of stuff.

"I had no doubt it was going to be really good and people were going to be all over it."

Game of Thrones author George RR Martin hinted last week that the TV adaptation of his novels may end with a feature film.

At the series four premiere in New York, the writer said: "It all depends on how long the main series runs.

"Do we run for seven years? Do we run for eight? Do we run for 10?

"The books get bigger and bigger. It might need a feature to tie things up, something with a feature budget, like $100m (£60.7m) for two hours," he told the Hollywood Reporter.

"Those dragons get real big, you know."

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