THE LONG NIGHT

‘Game of Thrones’ Finale Blocked in China Due to Trade Dispute

Chinese fans erupt after being left in the dark due to Tencent Video’s “transmission medium problems” tied to stalled Trump talks.

China’s Game of Thrones fans have been blocked from seeing the show’s big finale when the exclusive HBO streaming provider Tencent Video went dark thanks to U.S.-China trade troubles. Many who had taken the day off from work to watch the saga’s final episode, which streamed Monday morning in China, took to social media to complain after Tencent, which has run the series for the last eight years, ran only the service announcement “transmission medium problems.” An HBO spokesman told The Wall Street Journal that Beijing restricted Tencent from airing the finale due to the trade dispute.“We will notify you of another broadcasting time,” Tencent explained in a social-media post an hour before announcing the show would not go on.