Game of Thrones’ final season had a mixed reception among fans, but that didn’t stop it from shattering ratings records. According to Variety, British telecom giant Sky — which airs Game of Thrones on Sky Atlantic across the pond — had 5.8 million people watching “The Iron Throne,” the Game of Thrones series finale. Those were the highest ratings Sky had ever gotten for a season finale of a drama. Those ratings surpassed the season 7 finale by 12%!
Overall, Game of Thrones brought in an average of 6 million viewers across its run, which made it Sky’s most popular show ever. Interestingly, peak viewership came early in the season with “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” which brought in 6.31 million viewers. Why the uptick? That episode aired during a bank holiday in the U.K.!
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Sky also reported that the average viewer was about 41 years old, and that the show was watched about equally between men and women: 51% to 49% respectively.
The director of programs at Sky, Zai Bennett, shared his thoughts on what Game of Thrones had meant for the broadcaster:
"Showcasing British talent both on and off-screen, the series has kept viewers gripped with the myriad twists and turns of the battle for the Seven Kingdoms. We want to say a massive thank you to all the fans who have supported the show throughout this incredible journey."
I know the final season wasn’t what some fans wanted, but it clearly didn’t impact viewership.
The end of the show has been good for sales of George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire novels, too, with USA Today’s reporting that, after the series finale, the complete set of books has claimed the number eight slot on its best-sellers list, while the first book in the series — A Game of Thrones — is at number six. Way to go, Game of Thrones!
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