House of the Dragon recorded HBO’s biggest premiere of all time
Warner Bros Discovery says show recorded approximately 9.9 million views
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.HBO has revealed that the first episode of its Game of Thrones spinoff House of the Dragon recorded the network’s biggest premiere of all time.
Warner Bros Discovery said that the show recorded approximately 9.9 million views on Sunday (21 August) night in the US alone.
This viewership tally includes linear airings, as well as HBO Max streams during premiere night.
The original GoT series, on the other hand, closed out its run with 13.7 million viewers on linear channels for the finale in 2019.
It clocked over 19 million views with the addition of streaming and video-on-demand numbers.
House of the Dragon has the same lavish, medieval-fantasy aesthetic as the original GoT series, with lashings of castles, craggy countryside, and spike-furnished war rooms.
The cast of the series includes Milly Alcock, Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, and Emma D’Arcy.
Alcock, who plays the role of Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, recently opened up about the ways the blockbuster HBO series has changed her life.
“I never thought this would happen to me,” the Australian actor told Stellar magazine, according to JustJared.
“I was washing dishes in a restaurant, living in my mum’s attic. This doesn’t happen to people like me, so it was incredibly quick.”
Alcock said she was cooking dinner at a friend’s house when her agent told her she’d been cast in the fantasy series.
“I froze, and took a deep breath and said to my friend, ‘do you have wine?’ Then I called my mum,” she said.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments