by Thinus Ferreira  

M-Net (DStv 101) will also start showing the Game of Thrones prequel spinoff series House of the Dragon from HBO in August in South Africa, as an Express from the US title, but a specific date is still being iron throned out.

Meanwhile 9 new photos from House of the Dragon has been released by HBO that is set 300 years before the events depicted in Game of Thrones, and that will tell the story of the ruling family Targaryen’s descent into civil war, known as the “Dance of the Dragons”, during a time when dragons were still in existence in Westeros.

America’s HBO announced that House of the Dragon will debut on 21 August in the United States. It was followed immediately by another press release from the Sky pay-TV operator in the United Kingdom which announced that the series will debut there as an Express from the US title on 22 August.

MultiChoice and M-Net have not made any announcement yet but TVwithThinus understands that DStv subscribers will definitely also see House of the Dragon in sub-Saharan Africa in August, and as an Express from the US title as well, although M-Net can’t yet say whether it will also be 22 August like Britain or days or a week later.

It’s extremely likely that MultiChoice and M-Net will make episodes of House of the Dragon available online first as an Express from the US “Ealy Access” title on DStv streaming to try and curb pirate viewing, with episodes broadcast on linear a few days later on the M-Net channel on DStv.

The August debut of House of the Dragon means that two big fantasy series will duel like dragons for viewers’ attention at the same time. 

While DStv subscribers will watch House of the Dragon on M-Net, Amazon Prime Video, also available in South Africa, will debut its big-buzz The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power series on 2 September on the video streaming service.