House of the Dragon Delivers HBO's Most-Watched Finale Since Game of Thrones

From its very first episode, House of the Dragon has been a ratings and streaming behemoth for HBO. The series premiere in August broke records for the premium network, becoming the most-watched series premiere in its history. 10 weeks later, House of the Dragon is still proving its might. The Season 1 finale aired Sunday night and delivered the most-watched season finale on HBO in more than three years.

On Monday, HBO released the numbers from House of the Dragon's finale. The episode 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. That's the largest audience for an HBO finale since Game of Thrones came to an end in 2019.

"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.

What did you think of House of the Dragon's first season? Let us know in the comments!