Thanks to shows like Oz, The Wire, and The Sopranos, HBO has proven for decades that it is a go-to source of compelling drama. One of its biggest series, Game of Thrones, concluded earlier this year, shattering a number of audience records. Debuting while the final season of the fantasy epic aired was the miniseries Chernobyl, depicting the fallout of the 1986 nuclear disaster. The drama series might not have earned the same number of viewers as a series that has been earning a huge following for almost a decade, but new statistics confirm that a higher percentage of viewers have been watching Chernobyl from HBO Go, HBO Now, and other OTT platforms than any other HBO series.
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Deadline confirmed that 52% of the miniseries’ viewers consumed the show through HBO Go, HBO Now, and other OTT platforms, with no other series having earned more than 50% of its viewers through such platforms. Between services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Hulu, it’s clear that the future is looking towards these platforms as opposed to traditional distribution models.
The series itself has earned a cumulative of eight million viewers, toppling last year’s Sharp Objects series, which earned 7.5 million. Chernobyl falls short of Big Little Lies‘ 8.5 million, but it could surpass the third season of True Detective, which earned 8.1 million viewers.
“Chernobyl shows that a great series will find an audience,” HBO Entertainment boss Casey Bloys shared with the outlet. “Could not be prouder and so happy the viewers sought it out on our platforms.”
The series depicts the nuclear disaster, chronicling not only the missteps that caused the event, but also the ways in which the Soviet Union attempted to salvage the area and facilitate as many survivors’ escapes as possible. Three decades after the events, the series has inspired a surge of tourism to the area.
As reported by USA Today, the exclusion zone, and specifically the city of Pripyat, has seen a 30% increase in tourism since the series began. It’s possible that, by the end of the year, tourism could double, reaching roughly 150,000 visitors.
“Most of the people say they decided to book after seeing this show,” Victor Korol, director of the tour company SoloEast, told Fox News. “It’s almost as though they watch it and then jump on a plane over.”
All episodes of Chernobyl are now available on HBO Go.
Are you surprised so many people watched the show through the streaming services? Let us know in the comments below!
