The Last of Us episode five will be available early in the US this week in order to avoid a scheduling conflict with the Super Bowl.
Announcing the news via Twitter, HBO confirmed that the episode will be available to stream on HBO Max on Friday, February 10 at 9pm – two days before its network premiere on Sunday evening.
While the Super Bowl isn't explicitly mentioned as a reason for the schedule change, the one-off nature of the change suggests that HBO is keen to avoid viewing competition with the sports event.
Related: Last of Us star on why he nearly turned down role
The announcement also featured a brief 30-second teaser for the episode, showing Joel and Ellie in Kansas City, dealing with Kathleen (Melanie Lynskey) who is leading an uprising in the city.
Sky has yet to confirm whether it will follow suit and make episode five available early for UK viewers.
Meanwhile, HBO and Sky have officially confirmed that the apocalypse series has been renewed for a second season, following the show's phenomenal success.
"I’m humbled, honoured, and frankly overwhelmed that so many people have tuned in and connected with our retelling of Joel and Ellie’s journey," executive producer Neil Druckmann said in an official statement.
"Now we have the absolute pleasure of being able to do it again with season two!"
Related: The Last of Us star's reaction to Joel outfit
Executive producer Craig Mazin added: "I’m so grateful to Neil Druckmann and HBO for our partnership, and I’m even more grateful to the millions of people who have joined us on this journey.
"The audience has given us the chance to continue, and as a fan of the characters and world Neil and Naughty Dog created, I couldn’t be more ready to dive back in."
The Last of Us airs on HBO in the US, and on Sky Atlantic and streaming service NOW in the UK.
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Brenna Cooper is a freelance journalist, who currently specialises in entertainment reporting. She joined Digital Spy in 2022, writing TV and movies stories for the site. After graduating with an NCTJ accredited Journalism Masters from the University of Sheffield in 2020 she has since embarked on a freelance career.
Brenna previously produced lifestyle content for Checklists.co.uk and has a specific interest in music, reviewing live acts and interviewing bands such as Confidence Man and Amyl and the Sniffers.
