It was already a foregone conclusion that last night’s “Game of Thrones” series finale would be the most-watched episode of the year. Each episode leading up to the finale had earned HBO record viewership, and last night was no exception. However, instead of breaking its own viewership records, ‘Thrones’ set an all-time HBO record, dethroning “The Sopranos.”
Today, HBO announced that 19.4 million people tuned into the series finale of “Game of Thrones” last night, including those who watched on the network, as well as the HBO GO and HBO NOW streaming platforms. This is an increase of over 1 million viewers from last week’s penultimate episode.
However, the big news is with the sheer number of folks that turned the channel to HBO and didn’t bother with the streaming. The network says that an estimated 13.6 million people watched the 9:00 pm telecast on HBO. That just eeks past the previous record of 13.4 million, which was set by the Season 4 premiere of “The Sopranos.” But honestly, the 200,000 viewer difference doesn’t actually paint the whole picture.
Back in 2002, when that episode of “The Sopranos” aired, there was no streaming alternative. There was no DVR. There was no other way to catch the episode other than to watch it live or to catch it on a rerun or home video. That was at the height of “appointment television,” where viewers would schedule their days around episodes of TV.
However, with ‘Thrones,’ not only are people watching on streaming platforms, but there are some that are waiting for the replay later in the evening or on their DVRs. But taking all those folks out of the equation, the series finale for “Game of Thrones” still scored an HBO record. That’s nothing short of impressive.
The good news for HBO doesn’t end there. As we’ve said previously, the halo effect of “Game of Thrones” might actually mean more for the network than anything else. Because of the massive attention given to ‘Thrones,’ HBO’s dark comedy series “Barry” is seeing record viewers. Last night’s season finale for the Bill Hader-led series saw a viewership increase of 253% over last year’s finale. Unfortunately, from now on, “Barry” is going to have to live in a post-’Thrones’ HBO landscape. So hopefully, the Emmy-winning series has gained enough viewers from this prime spot.
