House of the Dragon Breaks Game of Thrones HBO Viewership Record in Europe

House of the Dragon is breaking records left and right for HBO, and another record previously held by Game of Thrones has fallen to the spinoff. The finale of House of the Dragon Season 1 already surpassed the final episode of Game of Thrones, with Warner Bros. Discovery announcing the Season 1 finale was viewed by 9.3 million people on all platforms over the course of Sunday night, which is even more impressive given the stiff competition of Sunday Night Football and the MLB playoffs. The popularity of House of the Dragon even stretches overseas, with the HBO series breaking records in Europe as well.

Deadline reports the freshman season of House of the Dragon bested Season 8 of Game of Thrones across Europe to become HBO’s most-watched title on subscription streaming services. Unfortunately, Warner Bros. Discovery didn’t provide any numbers to back up this assessment, though House of the Dragon had a massive debut in the US, Europe, and Latin America. In fact, House of the Dragon has the largest audience debut in HBO’s history, so it’s proven itself to be a winner no matter the country it airs.

“We’re so thrilled to see House of the Dragon catch fire with Game of Thrones fans around the world, as well as new viewers who are discovering the world of Westeros for the first time,” said Casey Bloys, Chairman and CEO, HBO and HBO Max. “Congrats to George, Ryan, Miguel and the whole House of the Dragon team on an incredible first season.”

How Many People Are Watching House of the Dragon?

The Season 1 finale of House of the Dragon was viewed by 9.3 million people on Sunday night, but that only tells half of the story. In addition to posting strong ratings on the night new episodes are released, House of the Dragon has been a juggernaut in the streaming world. 

According to HBO, House of the Dragon episodes are averaging 29 million viewers in the United States on HBO Max. To put that in perspective, those numbers are just below the penultimate season of Game of Thrones, which averaged 32.8 million viewers per episode. For House of the Dragon to be that strong in just its first season, it shows how powerful the Game of Thrones franchise remains. Expect to see plenty more Game of Thrones prequels, sequels, and spinoffs brought to life in the future.

Will There Be a Second Season of House of the Dragon?

HBO announced in late September that House of the Dragon was renewed for Season 2. The hit series debuted Sunday, August 21st and set a record for the largest audience in HBO history for a new original series, garnering over 20 million viewers across cable television, on-demand, and on HBO Max in the U.S., according to Nielsen. House of the Dragon is based on George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood novel and takes place 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones, focusing on House Targaryen.

“We are beyond proud of what the entire HOUSE OF THE DRAGON team has accomplished with season one,” said Francesca Orsi, Executive Vice President, HBO Programming. “Our phenomenal cast and crew undertook a massive challenge and exceeded all expectations, delivering a show that has already established itself as must-see-TV. A huge thank you to George, Ryan, and Miguel for leading us on this journey. We couldn’t be more excited to continue bringing to life the epic saga of House Targaryen with season two.”

Casey Bloys, chief content officer of HBO and HBO Max, released a statement on House of the Dragon‘s massive premiere. “It was wonderful to see millions of Game of Thrones fans return with us to Westeros last night,” Bloys said in a statement. “House of the Dragon features an incredibly talented cast and crew who poured their heart and soul into the production, and we’re ecstatic with viewers’ positive response. We look forward to sharing with audiences what else George, Ryan and Miguel have in store for them this season.”