House of the Dragon ending earns highest viewing figures for HBO since Games of Thrones finale

Virgin Radio

25 Oct 2022, 14:32

House of The Dragon has smashed through yet another record for HBO. 

The Game of Thrones spin-off came to an end over the weekend, and according to Deadline, over nine million people tuned in to the finale.

That is the highest figure for a HBO series conclusion since the 2019 finale of GoT, which had a staggering 19.3 million people watching. 

Casey Bloys, the CEO of HBO and HBO Max, said in a statement: “We’re so thrilled to see House of the Dragon catch fire with Game of Thrones fans around the world, as well as new viewers who are discovering the world of Westeros for the first time.

“Congrats to George [RR Martin], [showrunners] Ryan [Condal] and Miguel [Sapochnik] and the whole House of the Dragon team on an incredible first season.”

Over in the UK, the House of the Dragon became Sky’s biggest ever US drama launch, gaining over 4 million views for its opening episode. 

Not only that, but the debut of Daemon (Matt Smith) and Rhaenyra Targaryen (Milly Alcock) helped Sky Atlantic score its biggest series premiere in its 11-year history.

MD of Content at Sky, Zai Bennett said of the massive success in the UK: “Momentum around House of the Dragon just continues to build, as more and more people spread the word about its ever-current narrative of political power play married with visuals of epic scale and imagination.”

Fans were so engrossed in the prequel that HBO renewed House of the Dragon for a second series just days after the first episode aired. 

Speaking about the announcement at the time, Francesca Orsi, executive VP at HBO, said: “We are beyond proud of what the entire House of the Dragon team has accomplished with season one.

“Our phenomenal cast and crew undertook a massive challenge and exceeded all expectations, delivering a show that has already established itself as must-see-TV. A huge thank you [to co-creator and executive producer George R.R. Martin and co-creator and showrunners Ryan Condal and Miguel Sapochnik] for leading us on this journey."

We don't currently have any details on when the Westeros-based series will continue, but our bets are on late 2023, so watch this space!