Although this doesn't really affect any of you reading this, it affects us. A lot.
HBO has confirmed that it will not be screening Game of Thrones for critics before release, which means that smug / satisfied feeling we live off in lieu of a living wage is gone. To be fair to HBO, it makes complete sense.
For one, good or bad reviews, Game of Thrones is going to make huge ratings and it'll dominate social media on its return - so why does it need chumps like us reviewing it? Moreover, security is a major concern for HBO when you consider TV and films studios are being regularly hacked and content ransomed off in exchange for payments.
It's not a new thing for Game of Thrones either, as Season 6 wasn't shown to critics before airing. Not only that, fellow peak television series Mad Men stopped sending review copies out after Season 4 - eventually, it becomes sort of a waste of time and the security risk is simply too great to ignore.
HBO, if you're reading this, please reconsider because we need it. We need it bad.
Via EW
