Topline
The fourth episode of the second season of HBO’s “Game of Thrones” spin-off, “House of the Dragon,” drew 8.1 million viewers Sunday night in the U.S., according to Warner Bros. Discovery, marking a viewership high for the show this season by narrowly beating out the season premiere.
Season two of the “Game of Thrones” spin-off has drawn slightly lower viewership than season one, ... [+]
Key Facts
More than 8 million viewers watched across the HBO cable channel and Max streaming service, Warner Bros. Discovery told Forbes—up from the season premiere in June that drew 7.8 million viewers.
The June premiere was down about 22% from the series’ premiere in 2022, which drew almost 10 million viewers and was the largest series launch on Max at the time, according to Warner Bros. Discovery.
Warner Bros. said the season’s premiere episode is now nearing 25 million viewers total after the week of July 1-7, which the network said was the show's best week on Max since the premiere.
Get Forbes Breaking News Text Alerts: We’re launching text message alerts so you'll always know the biggest stories shaping the day’s headlines. Text “Alerts” to (201) 335-0739 or sign up here.
What To Watch For
Information on season three. “House of the Dragon,” which is based on George R.R. Martin’s “Fire & Blood,” was renewed for a third season by Max on June 13, ahead of the second season’s launch.
Key Background
The series takes place about 200 years before “Game of Thrones,” which aired from 2011 to 2019 and was based on Martin’s best-selling book series “A Song of Ice and Fire.” The spin-off focuses on the relationship between two perceived heirs in the fictional world: Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) and her half brother, King Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney). Sunday’s episode, which was titled “The Red Dragon and the Gold,” had a dragon battle scene for a small castle, Rook’s Rest, according to Variety.
