‘Game Of Thrones’ Sets New Viewership Record Despite People Literally Not Being Able To See The Episode

Before last weekend began, many were wondering which battle would be the most epic, “Avengers: Endgame” or “Game of Thrones?” (And as I type that, I realize that might be the nerdiest thing I’ve ever written. Sorry.) Alas, your mileage may vary with the results. Some thought ‘Endgame’ was overhyped, while others called ‘Thrones’ unwatchable, with its terrible lighting. However, something that can’t be debated is the fact that both broke records.

Sure, we know that “Avengers: Endgame” destroyed every conceivable box office record over the weekend, setting new marks that will likely stand for years to come. But HBO is quick to announce that “Game of Thrones” did something just as impressive, as last Sunday’s “The Long Night” became the most-watched episode of the series yet.

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HBO says that on Sunday night alone, in streaming and the episode’s two airings, “Game of Thrones” was seen by a record 17.8 million people. This beats the previous record, held by this season’s premiere, of 17.4 million. Not too shabby. Now, the real question is how many of those viewings happened because people couldn’t see what the hell happened the first time? ZING!

To answer that, somewhat dick-ish question, HBO says that the first airing of the series alone accounted for 12 million of those 17.8 million viewers. That’s pretty remarkable.

Now, as we mentioned in our report about the first episode’s ridiculous viewership, the halo-effect of ‘Thrones’ bringing in monster numbers applies to the series that follows, “Barry.” Thanks to ‘Thrones’ amassing great ratings, “Barry” has seen record-viewership each of the last three weeks, with the most recent episode being seen by 2.5 million viewers on Sunday night. (2 million of those watching at its normal 10:30 PM ET airing.)

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Much like the rest of TV nowadays, many people don’t sit there on Sunday night, waiting for the premiere. There are some brave souls that are willing to wait for their earliest convenience to view ‘Thrones,’ risking spoilers at every turn. And this is especially true when you consider that HBO says the Season 8 premiere episode from April 14 has been seen by a whopping 38 million viewers since it debuted.

However, with the mixed reviews of the last episode and the fairly underwhelming ending to seasons-long buildup (All it took was a simple poke from a dagger? Albeit, an epic poke?), it’ll be interesting to see if the momentum builds in the next three weeks, as we get dangerously close to the true end of the series.

“Game of Thrones” airs on Sunday nights on HBO.