How House of the Dragon viewing stats compare to Game of Thrones
HBOHBO’s biggest TV series boast impressive numbers by combining broadcast and Max figures. We’ve compared House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones’ viewership to see which show wins this battle.
While the future of streaming services looks unstable, a digital war is still being fought. House of the Dragon, which emerged from the fiery ashes of the Game of Thrones finale in true Targaryen fashion, is on the front lines.
House of the Dragon Season 2 is 2024’s headliner, and will likely not be challenged by new TV shows.
Holding a candle to Game of Thrones at its peak is harder than dragon-rearing, though; modern doesn’t always equal more. So, here’s how the two shows compare when it comes to the sheer number of people watching along.
Contents:
- Peak viewership figures compared
- House of the Dragon viewership figures explained
- Game of Thrones viewership figures explained
Peak viewership figures compared
Game of Thrones holds the record for peak viewership over House of the Dragon.
- House of the Dragon’s most-watched episode: Season 1 Episode 2 (10.2 million)
- Game of Thrones’ most-watched episode: Season 8 Episode 6 (19.3 million)
HBOHouse of the Dragon scored 9.9 million viewers with Episode 1 before peaking at 10.2 million with Episode 2.
The already-established audience ahead of House of the Dragon’s premiere accounted for its impressive debut. Still, Game of Thrones’ series finale remains the highest-rated episode in HBO history.
In terms of how many seasons House of the Dragons will have, the spin-off is set to be half as long as Game of Thrones. That means it’s unlikely to surpass the soaring heights the main series eventually reached.
House of the Dragon viewership figures explained
The first episode of House of the Dragon was watched by 9.99 million people across linear broadcasting and Max.
House of the Dragon viewership:
- Season 1 Episode 1: 9.9 million viewers
- Season 1 Episode 2: 10.2 million viewers
- Season 1 Episode 10: 9.3 million viewers
One of the reasons streaming is a tricky business is that companies can cherry-pick what data they release. Unfortunately, in this case, we don’t quite have the full picture.
Warner Bros. Discovery declined to share figures for episodes 3-9. However, it confirmed to Variety that total viewership (including cable and streaming) rose by 5% with Episode 4, by 3% with Episode 5, and by 3% with Episode 6.
However, it’s fair to say House of the Dragon was an impressive beast in ratings, beating friendly-fire competition such as The Last of Us.
House of the Dragon Episode 10, ‘The Black Queen’, is HBO’s most-watched finale since Game of Thrones concluded in 2019.
Game of Thrones viewership figures explained
The Game of Thrones finale was HBO’s most-watched episode ever, with 19.3 million total viewers.
Game of Thrones average viewers by season:
- Game of Thrones Season 1: 9.3 million
- Game of Thrones Season 2: 11.6 million
- Game of Thrones Season 3: 14.4 million
- Game of Thrones Season 4: 19.1 million
- Game of Thrones Season 5: 20.2 million
- Game of Thrones Season 6: 25.7 million
- Game of Thrones Season 7: 32.8 million
- Game of Thrones Season 8: 46 million
Dexerto.comThrones was a behemoth for HBO, pulling in an average of 46 million viewers across a controversial Season 8. To date, it’s HBO’s best TV series where ratings are concerned.
Those figures were shared with Variety and combined viewership across linear, on-demand, the out-of-service HBO Go/HBO Now, and other streaming platforms. HBO counted its programming until 90 days post-premiere across all platforms.
In conclusion, the first Game of Thrones spin-off is a ratings giant, but it can’t beat the original in a jousting match.
Prepare for HOTD Season 2 with our guides to the House of the Dragon Episode 10 ending explained, the Seven Kingdoms, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, or Blood and Cheese.