They will be toasting with mead in the HBO boardrooms following the news that the network’s eagerly anticipated Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon has broken the record for the largest series debut in the channel’s history.
House of the Dragon drew 9.986 million viewers across linear and HBO Max platforms in North America on Sunday night, which is the largest audience for any new original series in the history of cable channel.
The season opener was also the best series launch on HBO Max in the United States, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
We said that House of the Dragon “retains the scope and ambition present in Thrones“ while also “containing much of the politics and treachery fans came to love in the original series” in our positive review of the opening episode ‘The Heirs of the Dragon’, which you can read here.
HBO will be hoping that the positive reaction to the show, coupled with this record-breaking debut, will see House of the Dragon‘s audience grow to the levels achieved by its forebear, which bowed out divisive style in 2019 with 19.3 million viewers across all platforms.
SEE ALSO: House of the Dragon trailer teases what’s next from the Game of Thrones prequel
Let us know what you thought of the premiere episode and whether you’ll be returning to Westeros next week by heading to our social channels @FlickeringMyth…
Based on George R.R. Martin’s “Fire & Blood,” the series, which is set 200 years before the events of “Game of Thrones,” tells the story of House Targaryen.
House of the Dragon features a cast that includes Paddy Considine (The Outsider), Matt Smith (Doctor Who), Olivia Cooke (Ready Player One), Emma D’Arcy (Truth Seekers), Rhys Ifans (The Amazing Spider-Man), Steve Toussaint (Small Axe), Sonoya Minuzo (Crazy Rich Asians), Eve Best (Nurse Jackie), and Graham McTavish (Outlander).