Ratings Watch: Game of Thrones Returns With an Epic Opening Audience

Michael Schneider April 18, 2015, 10:55 am

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Audiences were hungry for the return of HBO’s Game of Thrones, which premiered its fifth season on April 12 with 10.1 million viewers overall and 6.7 million viewers in the key adults 18-49 demographic (after three days of DVR and VOD usage). That put the show in the top 25 ranker—an astounding feat for a premium cable series available in only about 30 percent of homes. And this number doesn’t include viewing on other platforms, which could double the audience.

That’s also a big leap from the Season 4 opener of Game of Thrones on April 4, 2014, which averaged 8.1 million viewers after three days of delayed DVR/VOD viewing. Winter may be coming, but this show still has serious heat.

Meanwhile, according to CBS, the NCAA Basketball Championship Game on April 6 (Duke 68, Wisconsin 63) posted its largest audience since 1997 (Kentucky vs. Arizona) and its best adults 25-54, adults 18-49, men 18-49 and adults 18-34 ratings since 2002 (Maryland vs. Indiana). CBS also attracted its largest Monday audience since May 16, 2005, the night of the series finale of Everybody Loves Raymond.

Bubbling under, NBC’s A.D. The Bible Continues averaged 8.8 million for No. 26 slot (down from last week’s premiere (10.7 million).

Also, the Season 1 finale of AMC’s Better Call Saul ended on a high note, averaging 5.1 million viewers in Live+3 (a jump of 103 percent from its live number) and 3.1 million adults 18-49.

Here’s the top 25 viewer ranker for the week ending April 12, 2014.

RANK	SHOW & NETWORK	LIVE+3 DAYS DVR/VOD	WATCHED LIVE/ SAME DAY
1	NCAA Baskeball Championship: Duke vs. Wisconsin CBS	28.4	28.3
2	NCIS CBS	19.4	16.8
3	The Big Bang Theory CBS	18.7	14.8
4	NCIS: New Orleans CBS	16.6	14.3
5	Dancing with the Stars ABC	15.3	13.8
6	Blue Bloods CBS	13.6	10.3
7	Criminal Minds CBS	13.4	10.4
8	Madam Secretary CBS	13.1	11.4
9	The Voice (Monday) NBC	13	11
10	60 Minutes CBS	12.9	12.6
11	The Voice (Tuesday) NBC	12.4	11.1
12	Survivor CBS	11.5	9.8
13	Chicago Fire NBC	11.3	8.34
14	Person of Interest CBS	11.2	8.7
15	The Voice (Wednesday) NBC	11	9.6
16	Hawai’i Five-0 CBS	10.9	8.7
17	The Odd Couple CBS	10.8	9.7
18	CSI: Cyber CBS	10.7	8.2
19	The Good Wife CBS	10.5	8.7
20	Mom CBS	10.4	9
21	Grey’s Anatomy ABC	10.2	7.4
22	Elementary CBS Game of Thrones HBO	10.1 10.1	7 7
24	Law & Order: SVU NBC	9.5	7.3
25	Chicago PD NBC	9.2	6.7