Despite returning after the series’ longest hiatus so far, Game of Thrones’ season premiere ‘Dragonstone’ has broken HBO viewership records, becoming the channel’s most watched premiere to date.
10.1 million people tuned in to the show as it aired live in the US, with another 6 million added from repeats, streaming, and DVR being taken into account. This marks a 50% increase from the season six premiere last year, which drew a total of 10.7 million viewers across all HBO platforms.
The episode was also simulcast in the UK through Sky Atlantic, where it set a new overnight audience record, at 2.83 million viewers, compared to last season’s 2.20 million. A total of 115,000 people watching the simulcast at 2am on Monday, with a further 788,000 people tuning in to the 9pm repeat. The premiere also broke the record in Italy, where it was shown on Sky Atlantic’s Italian channel, Sky Italia.
‘Dragonstone’ was also the most tweeted about Game of Thrones episode to date, with an 18% increase from last season. It seems that the success of GoT isn’t going to stop growing anytime soon.
Game of Thrones will air every Monday on Sky Atlantic at 2am, with a repeat showing at 9pm. Watch the trailer for season 7 below:
