‘Game of Thrones’ Record-Setting HBO Season Debut
The first episode of the final season of Game of Thrones is a record-breaker for the series and HBO. The pay channel said the 17.4 million viewers who watched Sunday’s episode either on TV or online represent a season-opening high for the fantasy saga.
HBO: @GameOfThrones’ final season premiere was watched by a record 17.4 million viewers Sunday night. #GOT pic.twitter.com/WvCKfsViK0
— Dan Linden (@DanLinden) April 15, 2019
HBO Now also posted its biggest streaming night ever, the channel said Monday.
The episode topped the 16.1 million who saw the seventh-season premiere and the 16.9 million who watched that season’s finale.
Photo: Helen Sloan/HBO
Reflecting increasing audience fondness for streaming, HBO saw about a 50 percent increase in online viewing compared to last season’s finale. In comparison to the season-seven premiere, the streaming audience nearly doubled.
Game of Thrones ultimately averaged 32.8 million viewers per episode last season in cumulative TV and online viewership, HBO said.