TechCentralTechCentral
    Facebook Twitter YouTube LinkedIn
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn YouTube
    TechCentralTechCentral
    NEWSLETTER
    • News

      Google’s giant Equiano Internet cable has landed in South Africa

      8 August 2022

      The African tech start-ups eyeing global markets

      8 August 2022

      Karpowership loses bid to overturn environmental ruling

      8 August 2022

      New app launched to tackle potholes in South Africa

      8 August 2022

      Rogue database felled Capitec in its worst-ever IT outage

      7 August 2022
    • World

      Nvidia issues profit warning on slump in demand for graphics cards

      8 August 2022

      Buterin: Mining on Ethereum Classic won’t affect Merge

      8 August 2022

      Musk challenges Twitter CEO to a public debate

      7 August 2022

      Amazon splashes $1.7-billion on Roomba maker iRobot

      5 August 2022

      Nigeria asks Google to block banned groups from YouTube

      5 August 2022
    • In-depth

      The length of Earth’s days has been increasing – and no one knows why

      7 August 2022

      As Facebook fades, the Mad Men of advertising stage a comeback

      2 August 2022

      Crypto breaks the rules. That’s the point

      27 July 2022

      E-mail scams are getting chillingly personal

      17 July 2022

      Webb telescope’s stunning images of the cosmos

      12 July 2022
    • Podcasts

      How South Africa can woo more women into tech

      4 August 2022

      Book and check-in via WhatsApp? FlySafair is on it

      28 July 2022

      Interview: Why Dell’s next-gen PowerEdge servers change the game

      28 July 2022

      Demystifying the complexity of AI – fact vs fiction

      6 July 2022

      How your organisation can triage its information security risk

      22 June 2022
    • Opinion

      SIU seeks to set aside R215-million IT tender

      19 July 2022

      No reason South Africa should have a shortage of electricity: Ramaphosa

      11 July 2022

      Ntshavheni’s bias against the private sector

      8 July 2022

      South Africa can no longer rely on Eskom alone

      4 July 2022

      Has South Africa’s advertising industry lost its way?

      21 June 2022
    • Company Hubs
      • 1-grid
      • Altron Document Solutions
      • Amplitude
      • Atvance Intellect
      • Axiz
      • BOATech
      • CallMiner
      • Digital Generation
      • E4
      • ESET
      • Euphoria Telecom
      • IBM
      • Kyocera Document Solutions
      • Microsoft
      • Nutanix
      • One Trust
      • Pinnacle
      • Skybox Security
      • SkyWire
      • Tarsus on Demand
      • Videri Digital
      • Zendesk
    • Sections
      • Banking
      • Broadcasting and Media
      • Cloud computing
      • Consumer electronics
      • Cryptocurrencies
      • Education and skills
      • Energy
      • Fintech
      • Information security
      • Internet and connectivity
      • Internet of Things
      • Investment
      • IT services
      • Motoring and transport
      • Public sector
      • Science
      • Social media
      • Talent and leadership
      • Telecoms
    • Advertise
    TechCentralTechCentral
    Home»Sections»Broadcasting and Media»Game of Thrones final episode draws record viewers

    Game of Thrones final episode draws record viewers

    Broadcasting and Media By Agency Staff21 May 2019
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email

    The final episode of Game of Thrones drew 19.3 million US viewers, a record for HBO and the fantasy drama that became one of TV’s rare collective viewing experiences.

    The audience for the medieval-themed show has been climbing, overcoming weak reviews this season and complaints by some fans that the saga lost momentum. The penultimate episode was seen by a record 18.4 million viewers. The episode before that drew 17.8 million viewers.

    While those numbers are dwarfed by the finales of past iconic shows like Seinfeld or M.A.S.H., they are massive for the premium cable network and the current era, when consumers have far more options for entertainment and can watch virtually any show on demand. For instance, while this season’s premiere of Thrones drew an audience of 17.4 million, that number grew to over 38 million once delayed viewing was counted.

    The fact that millions of people tuned in to Thrones at the same time speaks to the influence of social media on modern TV viewing

    Sunday’s total includes HBO’s online services. The network said 13.6 million tuned in for the live TV broadcast at 9pm, beating its previous high of 13.4 million for The Sopranos.

    These days, sporting events or awards shows attract the largest live audiences. The fact that millions of people tuned in to Thrones at the same time speaks to the influence of social media on modern TV viewing. While fans could easily have watched the episode on their own time, they saw it live partly to avoid seeing spoilers on Twitter. One major market where the season finale hasn’t aired is China. Tencent said on Monday that its video service was withholding the episode due to technical issues, incensing online viewers and triggering speculation about the cause in a country that exercises intense censorship.

    Viewers tested

    The final season’s twists, including a shocker for leading character Daenerys Targaryen, tested viewers. One fan even posted an online petition to have the season rewritten and got more than 1.2 million signatures. Reviewers also soured on Game of Thrones during the second half of the six-episode arc. But even as complaints flooded social media, viewers remained riveted to the show.

    TV ratings aren’t as critical to HBO as they are for other TV networks that rely on viewers to attract advertisers. But they do underscore the popularity of Thrones, and the challenge that HBO faces in keeping such a large fan base from cancelling their subscriptions.

    HBO executives have known for a while this day would come, and have been filling their pipeline with ambitious new shows, including a Game of Thrones prequel, to keep subscribers happy. Under new owner AT&T, the network is boosting its original programming slate by 50% this year, creating more chances for another blockbuster.  — Reported by Gerry Smith, with assistance from Lulu Yilun Chen, (c) 2019 Bloomberg LP

    Game of Thrones HBO
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email
    Previous ArticleInside Huawei’s race to build its own app store
    Next Article South Africans don’t trust companies to protect their data

    Related Posts

    Google’s giant Equiano Internet cable has landed in South Africa

    8 August 2022

    The African tech start-ups eyeing global markets

    8 August 2022

    Nvidia issues profit warning on slump in demand for graphics cards

    8 August 2022
    Add A Comment

    Comments are closed.

    Promoted

    You don’t need a call centre to take advantage of call centre technology

    5 August 2022

    Black man, you are still on your own

    5 August 2022

    UC&C interoperability offers businesses operational cost relief in tough times

    4 August 2022
    Opinion

    SIU seeks to set aside R215-million IT tender

    19 July 2022

    No reason South Africa should have a shortage of electricity: Ramaphosa

    11 July 2022

    Ntshavheni’s bias against the private sector

    8 July 2022

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    © 2009 - 2022 NewsCentral Media

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.