More than 19 million United States viewers watched the series finale of television’s “Game of Thrones“, a record audience for HBO, the cable channel said on Monday.
HBO, a unit of AT&T’s Warner Media, said Sunday’s 19.3 million live television audience and viewers on its HBO GO and HBO NOW apps exceeded the previous high for the fantasy – 18.4 million, for the penultimate episode a week ago.
The finale was also the most-watched single telecast ever on HBO, surpassing the previous record set by crime drama “The Sopranos” in 2002, HBO said.
“Game of Thrones” is available in over 150 countries worldwide, but HBO said viewing data is not easily retrieved in many of those markets, making a global figure impossible to calculate.
Mixed reviews, a stray water bottle and pleas for a spinoff for feisty teen assassin Arya Stark marked the end of “Game of Thrones,” which ended with a final twist over who would rule Westeros.
The finale proved as divisive as Season 8 itself, with the hard fought Iron Throne melted down and the saga ending in what some called an anti-climax.
But British actor Isaac Hempstead Wright said on Monday he was thrilled at how the show had transformed his character, Bran Stark, from a ten year-old boy in a wheelchair to the man finally chosen as king.
