Though fan disappointment in Season 8 was mounting with each episode and the critics’ response to the season overall lukewarm, HBO made its own version of history in the series finale on Sunday, racking up more viewers for Episode 6
Though fan disappointment in Season 8 was mounting with each episode and the critics’ response to the season overall lukewarm, HBO made its own version of history in the series finale on Sunday, racking up more viewers for Episode 6 “The Iron Throne” than any show it’s ever produced and ending the record-smashing final season with some truly stunning numbers.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, HBO amassed nearly 20 million views Sunday night for the series finale. A stunning 13.6 million viewers tuned in initially. When replays and early streaming for the first night are included, the total views are some 19.3 million. “Both figures are records not just for Game of Thrones, but for HBO’s entire history,” THR notes.
The network’s previous high was reached the week before with Episode 5, which drew 12.48 million initial viewers and racked up a total of 18.4 million first-night views. Variety reported at the time that Episode 5 managed to beat the previous initial viewing record set by the Season 7 finale: 12.
