The Game of Thrones Season 6 finale was explosive in more ways than one. The eventful and supersized closing chapter of this season of the wildly popular HBO fantasy series set a new ratings record for the show, with 8.9 million viewers tuning in to Sunday’s finale per EW. That tops the previous show record of 8.11 million viewers that tuned into the Season 5 finale in which Jon Snow bit the bullet.

Once all forms of viewing are accounted for, including repeats, HBO Go, and DVR playback, Game of Thrones Season 6 has averaged 23 million viewers per episode, which is a 15% increase from Season 5. Indeed, the HBO series has grown its audience with each subsequent season, and you can bet the network has mixed feelings about showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss wrapping up the show with only 13 (or so) more episodes left to go, spaced out over two more seasons.


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Image via HBO

Interestingly enough, not every Game of Thrones season finale is that season’s most-watched episode. Season 3 hit its high in the sixth episode, “The Climb”, while Season 4 peaked at episode seven, “Mockingbird.” As the show begins to build towards its conclusion, however, folks are ensuring that they tune in for the season finale ASAP, with the last two season finales marking huge game-changing moments for the series going forward.

Will this upward trend continue in Seasons 7 and 8 or will Game of Thrones plateau? That’s a question for another day, but if you’re not tired of our Game of Thrones coverage just yet, I recommend checking out the articles below.

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Image via HBO