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The first numbers are in for HBO’s massive Game of Thrones finale, and the final episode of the show’s eighth (and last) season has not only broken the record for the show, but with 13.6 million viewers on the live HBO channel, has become the most watched episode of any HBO show, ever, via The Wall Street Journal.
Add in early numbers from streaming and on-demand rewatches, and the total goes up even more to 19.3 million viewers, which is also a record for both Game of Thrones and HBO overall. None of this is entirely surprising: Game of Thrones’ season finale episodes have routinely broken its overall viewership record since season 5, but setting a new high water mark for all of HBO is new even for Thrones.
As The Hollywood Reporter notes, Game of Thrones’ final season has easily been the most watched in the show’s history, with five of the six most-watched episodes in the show airing this year (the season 7 finale is still the third most-watched episode). And factoring in additional views over the course of the week, HBO says that each episode this season has averaged 44.2 million viewers, a number that the finale will likely help bump up even higher in the coming days.
- Season 8, episode 6 4
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Season 8, episode 5
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- Game of Game of Thrones: season 8, episode 5, The Bells
- Game of Thrones’ showrunners say Daenerys’ big decision was completely spontaneous
- A brief history of Cleganebowl, Game of Thrones’ best fan theory
- Game of Thrones’ final showdown comes down to what it means to be a good ruler
- Game of Thrones’ writers love their clumsy-fool characters and big, dumb gestures
- Most of Game of Thrones’ problems could be solved with therapy
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Season 8, episode 4
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- Game of Game of Thrones: season 8, episode 4, The Last of the Starks
- Game of Thrones’ latest episode left several important things offscreen
- The Game of Thrones showrunners say this week proves Sansa is a master manipulator
- Lore of Thrones: the history behind Tyrion’s ‘five kings and queens’ dig at Varys
- Is that a Starbucks cup in Game of Thrones?
- HBO confirms that Game of Thrones’ Starbucks coffee cameo was a mistake
- HBO quietly removed the coffee cup from Game of Thrones
- Romance is dead on Game of Thrones
- Game of Thrones could be doing so much more with its big dragon metaphor
- For better or worse, the Iron Throne is Game of Thrones’ endgame
- Game of Thrones Hope Chest: underserved and absent characters
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Season 8, episode 3
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- Game of Game of Thrones: season 8, episode 3, The Long Night
- Game of Thrones has spent three years foreshadowing The Long Night’s ending
- Daenerys vs. Cersei: who has the resources to win the final game of thrones?
- 5 pieces of Game of Thrones history that paid off at the Battle of Winterfell
- No, the Night King is not a Targaryen
- Game of Thrones cinematographer: it’s not me, it’s your TV settings
- Game of Thrones could have taken a page from how Avengers: Endgame handles death
- Thanos and the Night King were fighting the exact same battle
- Westeros deserves a much better hero than Jon Snow
- What’s behind all the weird online thirst for the Night King?
- Game of Thrones Hope Chest: which character do you most need to see survive?
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Season 8, episode 2
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- Game of Game of Thrones: season 8, episode 2, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
- Here’s why Sansa and Theon’s reunion was so emotional
- Tormund Giantsbane’s ridiculous origin story is different in the Game of Thrones books
- A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms hints at Brienne’s fitting legacy
- There’s a major flaw in Winterfell’s battle strategy on Game of Thrones
- The fear of Daenerys Targaryen is setting up Game of Thrones’ final battle
- Why Arya Stark and Beric Dondarrion are frenemies on Game of Thrones
- Game of Thrones Hope Chest: long odds and unlikely endings
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Season 8, episode 1
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- Game of Game of Thrones: season 8, episode 1, Winterfell
- Game of Thrones’ new opening credits sequence holds a lot of clues for this season
- Lore of Thrones: Diving into Jon Snow’s history lesson from this week’s Game of Thrones
- In Game of Thrones, Jon Snow has to decide whether Daenerys is a worthy queen
- What Arya’s new weapon could mean for Game of Thrones
- The Night King’s eerie sigils on Game of Thrones could have a basis in math
- Game of Thrones’ season 8 premiere was pirated almost 55 million times in the first 24 hours
- Game of Thrones’ season 8 premiere recalls key moments from the season 1 pilot
- George Lucas helped direct Game of Thrones’ season 8 premiere
- Under Chinese censorship, Game of Thrones becomes a mundane medieval documentary
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Catching up
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- Game of Game of Thrones season 8 preview: meet the Verge teams
- Game of Thrones is no longer a game of thrones
- Game of Thrones: where to watch season 8 and how much it’ll cost
- How to get caught up on Game of Thrones — fast
- Game of Thrones fan video imagines a beautiful Arya and the Hound buddy comedy
- People are live-streaming new Game of Thrones episodes on Twitch every week
- Why we’re hoping for a big body count in Game of Thrones and Avengers: Endgame
- An algorithm has predicted who’s most likely to die in Game of Thrones’ final season
- We’re kicking off season 8’s Game of Game of Thrones fantasy sports league
- Game of Thrones’ final season trailer prepares us for the biggest fight yet
- Game of Thrones Hope Chest: weirdest fan theories
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