Game of Thrones' The Long Night Breaks Series Ratings Record

CBR

By Sam Stone

Published Apr 30, 2019

As Game of Thrones nears its series finale, the latest episode, The Long Night, has set a new record for total viewership.

The White Walkers and their Army of the Dead turned out in full force for the latest episode of Game of Thrones, and so did the viewers.

A series-best 17.8 million viewers watched the third episode of the eighth and final season, "The Long Night," over the weekend. This impressive figure includes audiences using streaming platforms such as HBO Now and extensions through Hulu and Amazon Instant Video.

The previous record holder for largest audience for HBO's dark fantasy series had been the Season 8 premiere, which debuted on April 14 to 17.4 million viewers. Through rewatches and delayed viewings, the total viewership for the final season's premiere episode now stands at 38 million.

Featuring the eagerly anticipated Battle of Winterfell, which pitted the Night King and his Army of the Dead against the living defenders of Westeros, the episode has the longest runtime of any in the series to date at 82 minutes. Nevertheless, the lengthy runtime didn't dissuade viewers and, with three episodes left in the series, it will be interesting to see if the show can maintain its momentum as it marches toward the finale.

Airing Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO, Game of Thrones stars Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Jaime Lannister, Lena Headey as Cersei Lannister, Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen, Sophie Turner as Sansa Stark, Maisie Williams as Arya Stark and Kit Harington as Jon Snow.

(via The Hollywood Reporter)