Ratings stay high and level with Game of Thrones 603 “Oathbreaker” (or: Not a post for GeekFurious)

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Huge crowds watching the show
The viewership numbers this week come from SpoilerTV. They were the first to reveal that the initial airing on Sunday was seen by 7.28 million pairs of eyes – which means that the number remains level with last week’s episode and among the highest in the history of Game of Thrones.

As you can see from the SpoilerTV table linked above, this places Thrones among the most viewed programmes of the night, even when we take network TV into account, not just cable. On cable, it carried the night, beating NBA playoffs. The demo rating was 3.7.

We’ll update the post if more details are revealed, and we are of course always on the lookout for the current cumulative viewing numbers. HBO should reveal those in a couple of weeks when they grow impressive enough.

46 Comments

  1. (Not a post for GeekFurious)

    But his posts in these threads are almost a tradition by this point! 😛

  2. “Not a post for GeekFurious.” lmao

    Not surprised to see the high ratings this episode. I’m sure many were curious to see Jon and the aftermath of his resurrection. Hopefully the potential Stark reunion next episode gets even more viewers.

  3. I have to say i’m pretty dissapointed,after last week reveal i thought there would be a significant rise but i guess we reached the pinnacle of the show in terms of first airings ratings .

  4. We don’t expect him to abstain 😉 just a bit of fun, I meant it in the nicest way possible.

    Valaquen: But his posts in these threads are almost a tradition by this point! ?

  5. I´m still processing the death of Shaggydog, in shock when I see his head… man, gotta pray for Rickon and Osha.

    but a part of me have the sense that this is part of the Northern conspiracy plot.. Smalljon Umber still loyal to the Starks, Shaggy head was just a random black wolf head, Shaggy is safe… also, you can see how Smalljon refuses to bend the knee.. hummm, I hope man.

  6. Amazing that it stayed stable considering it was Mother’s Day in lots of countries.

    I think people tuned in to see if Jon was still Jon or not and also to see the ToJ flashback.

  7. After the premiere last season, the ratings were consistently in the 6s and now we are consistently in the 7s. Nice!

  8. Freud:
    I have to say i’m pretty dissapointed,after last week reveal i thought there would be a significant rise but i guess we reached the pinnacle of the show interms of first airings ratings .

    The average for season 5 was 6.88, bolstered by the +8’s of the premiere and finale. Staying above 7 for these early season episodes is good and I’m going to guess that’s where it will hover until the last few when it might jump up again. There haven’t really been huge spikes after major events during the series so I don’t think it’s something we should expect.

  9. Info is always a bit far behind for the UK but 2.2m watched the season 6 premiere here either live on the 2am, 9pm broadcast or delayed on recording.

    That’s a record for any Sky Atlantic show – the channel is on a premium subscription pay-TV.

    Don’t know if it includes the online streaming service too which is how I watch it.

  10. Ser Not Appearing in this Series,

    Thanks! Some UK morsels like this have been dripping in over the weeks. I’ll include a mention in the post next week. Nice to hear it’s definitely a record show on the other side of the Atlantic as well.

  11. GhostCR:
    Amazing that it stayed stable considering it was Mother’s Day in lots of countries.

    But what do people on Mother’s Day? I mean why would that interfere with watching the show?

  12. Sou,

    as far as the US goes for those in EST & CST it probably wouldn’t have much of an impact as most people are home from spending time with their moms but for those in MST & PST they may still be out at dinner, etc. with their moms so there could be a slight dip in viewership.

  13. Season averages:

    Season 1: 2.52 Million
    Season 2: 3.80 Million
    Season 3: 4.97 Million
    Season 4: 6.84 Million
    Season 5: 6.88 Million

    So far for Season 6…. 7.50 Million average. It doesn’t matter if you compare it to the first 3 episodes of a season or to the air dates…. The numbers have increased this season.

    I was certain we would see a slight drop this season. Not because the show is bad. Just because shows typically don’t do this well for the 6th season. Both the show quality and the viewership numbers are increasing. Just amazing.

  14. I just saw someone (elsewhere) say that because the ratings are mostly the same as last year, the show is in trouble. Seriously, you can’t make this stuff up. 🙂 (Okay, maybe you can… they certainly do.)

    I also know more people who are using HBO Now or watching on HBO Go than I did last year. I’m sure that experience is similar to many others. Those ratings numbers staying the same as last year pretty much ensure that more people are watching than last year, because viewership on HBO streaming has increased dramatically from 2015 to 2016.

  15. It’s interesting to look at all of the numbers. However, the only thing that they mean is that the show will get as many episodes as it needs to tell the complete story with the proper budget.

  16. What happened to the millions and millions of fans who were supposed to stop watching after Sansa married Ramsay?

  17. Dee: ome from spending time with their moms but for those in M

    can anyone explain to me what is he crying about? I know the guy and never liked him.

  18. Cameryn: I just saw someone (elsewhere) say that because the ratings are mostly the same as last year, the show is in trouble

    The ratings are better this year.

    Season 5, Episode 2: 6,81 million
    Season 6, Episode 2: 7,29 million

    Season 5, Episode 3: 6,71 million
    Season 6, Episode 3: 7,28 million

  19. Moka:
    What happened to the millions and millions of fans who were supposed to stop watching after Sansa married Ramsay?

    They are hanging out with the people who said they were quitting the show because GRRM wasn’t finished with Book 6 yet.

    And what are they doing together? Throwing a giant GoT viewing party. lol

  20. Balon01: The ratings are better this year.

    Season 5, Episode 2: 6,81 million
    Season 6, Episode 2: 7,29 million

    Season 5, Episode 3: 6,71 million
    Season 6, Episode 3: 7,28 million

    Please. Stop using facts and logic. It’s unbecoming of a Game of Thrones discussion community. … oh, wait. This is Watchers on the Wall, where people are mostly sane. Never mind. 🙂

    (But seriously – right? Like the post above said, we were told everyone would stop watching after “Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken” last year….)

  21. The Bastard:
    It’s interesting to look at all of the numbers.However, the only thing that they mean is that the show will get as many episodes as it needs to tell the complete story with the proper budget.

    This is HBO’s golden child; there’s no danger at all of the show not being able to tell its complete story anymore, high ratings or not. Cachet value and all. Not that you aren’t totally right, of course… but I think we’re beyond the point some of the more vocal critics were fearful of, that HBO wouldn’t see the whole thing through.

  22. I used to follow these numbers religiously, but I think we’re at the point now where, unless there is a really big spike in either direction, they aren’t going to mean much in terms of either the life or budget of the show, and I just don’t see the numbers moving all that much let alone to the degree needed to get HBO to rethink how much money they are throwing at this production either positively or negatively.

    So mostly this is just for fun at this point.

  23. The Bastard: They are hanging out with the people who said they were quitting the show because GRRM wasn’t finished with Book 6 yet.

    And what are they doing together?Throwing a giant GoT viewing party. lol

    Hey, psshht, you just broke the code !

  24. Are those weirdos that run the westeros site still watching or did they quit because they don’t want to pass the books?

  25. Delta1212,

    Yep.

    But the numbers could very much matter for potential Dunk and Egg, Robert’s Rebellion, or Dance of Dragons series. If they are unlikely or too far in the future to think about now, that’ll change quickly if GoT finishes without viewership ever plateauing.

  26. The Bastard,

    So even if we look at initial ratings only (which is not accurate anymore, but whatever) S6 is the most popular season of GoT. This is really unbelievable.

    There are very few shows that can do this in its sixth years.

  27. WinterRy71,

    Elio quit, he says he does not want to be spoiled. Linda keeps watching and reviewing, but is mostly complaining about how the books are better (or even how the books will be better, because there is no way that the show can possibly be right). I watched part of last week’s reviews, but stopped when she complained that Mel resurrecting Jon was predictable…

  28. Jon Snow’s Mother,

    WinterRy71,

    Linda is doing the translations to Swedish for HBO Nordic too. The Westeros.org twitter (mostly run by Elio) still tweets comments and links during the episodes so I think Linda’s told Elio at which point in the episodes certain things happen, but he’s not watching it himself.

  29. Johan Sporre:
    Jon Snow’s Mother,

    WinterRy71,

    Linda is doing the translations to Swedish for HBO Nordic too. The Westeros.org twitter (mostly run by Elio) still tweets comments and links during the episodes so I think Linda’s told Elio at which point in the episodes certain things happen, but he’s not watching it himself.

    Well, so long as they’re making money/traffic from a show (and showrunners) that they’ve publicly disparaged…

  30. Season 6 has been consistent good ratings , have to wonder what that means for HBO and the number of episodes in season 7 ?

  31. Moka: What happened to the millions and millions of fans who were supposed to stop watching after Sansa married Ramsay?

    They were replaced instantly by millions and millions of perverts who watch the show only because Sansa married Ramsay. However, if she doesn’t marry a Wildling or White Walker soon, then they are going to quit watching.

    mau: So even if we look at initial ratings only (which is not accurate anymore, but whatever) S6 is the most popular season of GoT. This is really unbelievable.

    What is interesting is that we have fewer viewers delaying their viewing. HBO will find that interesting, as there has been the question of whether the better model would be to go to mass-releases of entire series rather than week-by-week telecasts.

  32. Jon Snow’s Mother: but stopped when she complained that Mel resurrecting Jon was predictable…

    Given that most of us have been predicting this or something very close to this for 5 years now, yes, yet it was…..

  33. Flayed Potatoes:
    “Not a post for GeekFurious.” lmao

    Not surprised to see the high ratings this episode. I’m sure many were curious to see Jon and the aftermath of his resurrection. Hopefully the potential Stark reunion next episode gets even more viewers.

    Personally not too surprised as it follows the general pattern, eg first match of a sporting season always has a large crowd then drops off slightly.

    Indeed the fact it isn’t dropping off is a huge plus, even with HBONow streaming increasingly coming online etc

    I expect there will be a fair upswing towards the end of the season and pushing above the old highs as we reach the climax of the season

  34. WinterRy71:
    Are those weirdos that run the westeros site still watching or did they quit because they don’t want to pass the books?

    Well, Linda is (not Elio supposedly) and she does a video review after each episode. I only watch it for the amusement value 😀

    Its pretty grim as one would expect and full of vitriol against the show runners and some of the acting which is pretty much par for the course on Westeros.org

    Linda is obviously struggling not having the ‘source material’ to refer to and speculates on how different things will be when the WoW is published or that GRRM would never have written it as the TV show portrays… All pretty puerile stuff as one can imagine 🙂

  35. Wimsey,

    I know you were only but joking but I had a sudden, disturbing vision of Sansa’s third marriage … to Tormund. That’d be the show’s version of Sigorn marrying Alys Karstark to create house Thenn. They do like to get Sansa to double for other characters.

  36. Jon Snow’s Mother:
    WinterRy71,

    Elio quit, he says he does not want to be spoiled. Linda keeps watching and reviewing, but is mostly complaining about how the books are better (or even how the books will be better, because there is no way that the show can possibly be right). I watched part of last week’s reviews, but stopped when she complained that Mel resurrecting Jon was predictable…

    Yeah I watch what they have to say, I initially thought Jons resurrection lacked the typical GRRM twist but I’m fine with it now, besides it depends on whether there’s more to come etc

    I listen but essentially they are slagging off the writing, they are literary critics but don’t ever seemed to have grasped that themes need to be explored differently on a visual medium.

    Eg she talks of how the dialogue was important in the book version and too much emphasis on the flashy fight. In this case she has failed to grasp that the books are Neds POV and concern different thematic matters,

    The show which is Brans POV if one makes the effort to look are pointing to the theme explored via Sansa in the books that the reality of war carries little of the romance reflected in the songs or myths that develop around them, eg Dayne was “far better” and his shock at “he stabbed him in the back”

    What’s more it is bringing up the matter as explored via Jaimie and Brienne in the bathtub scene that the narrative of Roberts rebellion is very different from the truths of it all and that overall not everything is at it seems,

    Sure, there are clear signs the showrunners didn’t plan properly, eg we get Butcher King and then not, and then the Wise Masters rise again, we get Daario capture Victarions ships, then they are burned so Yara can theoretically be Victarion etc and this of course means as a show watcher you can’t get immersed in the show the same way as the books but

    They do explore themes nonetheless, eg Rapegate began to make sense to me after the “bastard” conversation with Ramsay and it seems it is continuing this season (eg a power struggle within their relationship and he has to brutally impose himself)

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