‘Game of Thrones’ Ratings Fall in Episode 2 — But Still Dominate

Unless you live under a rock, you already know Game of Thrones‘ final season has been one of the most anticipated in TV history. So it was no surprise when the HBO drama broke records with its Season 8 premiere nabbing an audience of 17.4 million.

But after Episode 2, the ratings tell a different story as the viewership seems to have slipped a bit — but not by much. The initial numbers for the Easter broadcast are currently 10.29 million, based on Nielsen’s figures, which is the show’s fourth-largest audience in its history.

Related

'Game of Thrones': Did 'Jenny of Oldstones' Foreshadow the Series Finale?

The top three episodes ahead of Season 8’s second chapter include the Season 7 finale, the Season 8 premiere and Season 7’s fifth episode. The episode “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” slipped 12.5 percent compared to the season premiere’s initial audience of 11.76 million.

Clearly there’s more to be seen as the initial 11.76 million was boosted by streaming stats from HBO Now. And since use of the platform has increased by 50 percent since the Season 7 finale, that 10.29 million is not the final tally.

(Credit: HBO)

The linear ratings for the show topped all of Sunday night’s programming on both cable and broadcast by a wide margin. Now, with the streaming stats also listed, “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” has so far delivered a total of 15.9 million viewers — only down 9 percent from the premiere’s viewership.

As of now that 15.9 million doesn’t include Game of Thrones‘ third airing on Sunday night.

Game of Thrones, Sundays, 9/8c, HBO