Over 19 Million Watch ‘Game of Thrones’ Finale

By Michael Malone
( Broadcasting & Cable )
published

The Game of Thrones series finale was watched by 19.3 million viewers across HBO’s platforms (linear, HBO Go, HBO Now) May 19, setting a record for the network. The finale beat the previous series high of 18.4 million set by Game of Thrones the week before.

The eight-season show wrapped May 19.

Fully 13.6 million watched the 9 p.m. airing, breaking the 13.4 million that the season four premiere of The Sopranos tallied in 2002.

Season eight of Game of Thrones is averaging 44.2 million viewers per episode in gross audience, more than 10 million better than season seven’s average.

Leading out of Game of Thrones, dark comedy Barry notched 2.7 million viewers across platforms with its season finale May 19, a series high. Last season’s finale did 774,000. The live episode, beginning just before 10:30 p.m., did 2.2 million total viewers.

Bill Hader stars in Barry.

Michael Malone
Michael Malone

Michael Malone, senior content producer at B+C/Multichannel News, covers network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television. He hosts the podcasts Busted Pilot, about what’s new in television, and Series Business, a chat with the creator of a new program, and writes the column “The Watchman.” He joined B+C in 2005. His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Playboy and New York magazine.