Game Of Thrones Series Finale Sets New All-Time Ratings Record For HBO

Game of Thrones has outdone itself, yet again. The most-watched season of the HBO series posted a new record for the most-watched single episode with its series finale on Sunday night. After 13.6 million viewers tuned in for the initial broadcast of the episode, the number already grew to 19.6 million with repeat or replay watches.

The numbers for live viewership and same-day replay watches are records for HBO. The record previously had been set one week ago when Game of Thrones aired its penultimate episode, hauling in 12.6 million viewers live and totaling 18.4 million viewers with replays. In fact, the final season of Game of Thrones which was made up of six episodes in total, includes five of the six most-watched episodes for the series as a whole, with only the Season 7 finale from 2017 earning a spot in such rankings. Ratings were first reported by THR.

With additional streaming, on-demand viewings, and additional replay numbers, Game of Thrones was averaging an audience of 43 million viewers with each episode in the final season.

The previous record for HBO with single-airing numbers was held by The Sopranos with its Season 4 premiere which garnered an audience of 13.4 million viewers. This episode aired in 2001, before streaming services and DVRs allowed viewers to watch shows at their leisure. The final episode of The Sopranos, which aired in 2007, pulled in an audience of 11.9 million viewers.

As impressive as the numbers for the Game of Thrones series finale are, there is no denying the divisive nature of the show's conclusion. Daenerys Targaryen actress Emilia Clarke opened up about her own shock and frustration in an interview following the episode.

"What, what, what, WHAT!?" Clarke said of her reaction to the shocking twists in the final episodes. "Because it comes out of f—king nowhere. I'm flabbergasted. Absolutely never saw that coming." The actress had been traveling at the Heathrow airport when she received the final scripts, which prompted a good bit of excitement and a race home to find out how it would all come to an end.

Then came the disbelief, reading not only that Daenerys would slaughter the people of King's Landing but also be slain by her lover Jon Snow for her actions. "I cried," Clarke says. "And I went for a walk. I walked out of the house and took my keys and phone and walked back with blisters on my feet. I didn't come back for five hours. I'm like, 'How am I going to do this?'"

What did you think of the Game of Thrones finale? Share your thoughts in the comment section or send them my way on Instagram and Twitter.