Game of Thrones episode 602 viewership slightly down compared to the premiere

These numbers are biiig
These numbers are biiig

We had to wait a bit for the number today, but they are in: the initial airing of Game of Thrones: The Resurrection was seen by 7.29 million viewers on Sunday (compared to 7.94 million last week). With that, it was easily the most viewed cable programme of the night. Despite the expected post-premiere drop, 602 was the fourth most watched episode so far.

The source does not report on how many watched the repeat later on Sunday, but everything will be tallied in the totals, of course – and I am looking forward to the first report from HBO on the average viewers per episode this year, whenever it comes.

Do you expect more people to watch Game of Thrones live next week due to the final scene of 602? Sound off in the comment section!

67 Comments

  1. can’t wait for the total amount to be announced, re watches and all.

  2. Excellent rating. Last season there was quite a big drop after the premiere (which is always going to have added interest), so this is a great rating.

  3. I’m glad they brought back Snow in episode 2, now I feel like I can just focus on the plotlines going forward. Episodes 1 and 2 I was so hyperfocused on Snow and whether he was going to be revived or not, that I missed some other stuff.

    Episode 3 will be a doozy!

  4. Think it’s bound to go way up now though, now with Jon back and that “cliffhanger.”

    I wonder now though what role Thoros is going to play….

  5. Prime Minister:
    Taking into account UK broadcast time is 2am?

    This is only for HBO’s first airing on TV on the US. Not other countries, not streaming, etc. Obviously the global total viewership is massively larger.

    Bodog:
    I’m glad they brought back Snow in episode 2, now I feel like I can just focus on the plotlines going forward. Episodes 1 and 2 I was so hyperfocused on Snow and whether he was going to be revived or not, that I missed some other stuff.

    Considering this is reported to be the biggest season for Jon Snow, and Kit the actor who was most time on set, I wouldn’t be so sure.

  6. I do think that as more folks find out what all went down in Episode 2, Episode 3 is bound to have a solid viewership. The actors in the show who “warned” us that this season was going to start off with a bang and keep going weren’t kidding!

    Sunday needs to get here NOW. 😀

  7. These numbers and the way they track viewership is archaic and so pointless.

  8. Expected. Nonetheless, it’s a good number and it should go up next week.

  9. 8M viewers for 603?

    i know that myself and many others that i have spoken with are dying to see it

  10. Nadia,

    Thoros and Melisandre are going to team up, riding throughout Westeros, resurrecting the heck out of everyone so that they can keep up with the White Walkers.

    The finale will be a battle of undead vs. undead, and they’ll realize the futility of it and team up to take down the living, spawning a spinoff series, The White Walking Dead.

    It is known.

  11. Knowing that these ratings are a bit inessential now, that’s still another record for an Ep. 2 of Thrones. It clearly oversteps 5×02 (which was 6.81). So yeah, great ! (even though bad ratings would never shatter my enjoyment for GOT of course)

  12. Well, it is Mother’s Day in the US on Sunday, so…. 😛

    Eh, it will fluctuate all season for reasons unknown, like usual.

  13. Well I will be watching so Idc who else is watching (except our viewers here I mean) but Im guessing that the end of S602 will bring a ton of people back for this weekend. How it could be down is beyond me. We figured if JS was coming back it would be within the first three episodes so missing any one of them was bound to be a mistake. How do they tally the folks who have to tape and watch it another day or later in the day bc they are working?

  14. 4th most watched episode and the highest rating for a second episode, way to go.

  15. I think most of the Nordic (Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland view it as streaming service via HBO Nordic. So we watch it when we wake up as it is up for viewing in the middle of the night. That means that a lot of the less fanatic viewers view it sometime during the week before the next episode.

  16. I fail to see the point of obsessing about live US TV viewership for a show that’s a worldwide phenomenon among the online generation. As online develops, I wager that lots of GoT fans even in the US are moving to HBO’s online franchises.

    I don’t even know what live TV is nowadays. I haven’t had a physical TV set in years, I watch live streaming or catchup online. I’m not alone. For GoT, I subscribe to HBO Nordic for the season. They know this. Subscriptions is all they care about.

    Figures have to be produced for out-of-touch US suits in the boardrooms. *shrug* Old-fashioned ratings, if high and growing, are a PR thing, too, I suppose. But HBO knows it’s raking it in with GoT, worldwide.

  17. It’s annoying seeing people say “Live ratings don’t matter.” When they mean to say “live ratings dont give a complete picture.”

    HBO uses live ratings less than broadcast of course. But it’s important to them still.

    They hope their live ratings go up. If live goes up 10% and they can expect it to go up 10% or more across all platforms.

    These morning after ratings don’t give us complete picture but they do give us an important picture.

  18. I wonder how many times Ollie has carved his name on the walls of Castle Black’s brig?

  19. Matt,

    That’s true. They do kinda matter. They’re not the whole, but they’re kinda presented as such because I guess they haven’t figured out how to track & report the rest of it

  20. Why DOES Hodor always just say Hodor if it’s not even his name? Did they say in the books? It’s been a long, long time since I read them.

  21. Plenty more viewers next Sunday for the big reveal of naked Jon Snow ass
    .Umm um umm

  22. r-hard,

    Just Finished watching this, Alt shift and Ozzy man are the best 🙂
    plus What the Flick XD

  23. Luka Nieto,

    The post wasn’t about hoping less Jon in the series, just that the resurrection was done with as everyone knew he’d be back and now that they got it over in second episode it leaves more time to move the plot forwards.

  24. r-hard,

    well ASX is the most logical one of the bunch ^^ just listing some of my favorites, just because XD

  25. Episode 602 was absolutely EPIC!!! As was 601 for that matter.
    It seems D&D have set the bar quite high this season and, knowing what we know from all the various shooting spoilers, hints and clues, things will continue on this trajectory…
    Every year they say this is the best season yet.
    Frankly, this go around, I believe them…

    ?❄️?????????☀️??⚔???????

  26. anon:
    Why DOES Hodor always just say Hodor if it’s not even his name?Did they say in the books?It’s been a long, long time since I read them.

    Nobody knows! It’s not explained i. The books either.

    That’s why we are all so anxious to find out this “hodor” thing

  27. r-hard:
    All Hail Alt Shift X!

    He is by far the best reviewer. I have everyone at work watching his stuff. Alt, Gay of Thrones, and the Sawyer7 guy are the only ones I watch.

  28. anon,

    Judging by Hodor’s reaction to storms, perhaps whatever happened to him occurred during one.

  29. 602 was amazing. Not sure that the first time viewership is really accurate because of all of the repeats. For the record, I did not believe that Jon Snow was dead or had been permanently killed off. Collecting great lines. Last week was the exchange between the Sand Snakes after Trystane was killed. “You’re a greedy bitch” will never sound the same. For 602 Tyrion’s line about the next time he discusses aloud unchaining a pair of fire breathing dragons, someone should punch him in the face. You just gotta love this show. PS – Hodor/Will’s back story most likely has something to do imho with an attack of some type on Winterfell possibly involving Lyanna, but I’m just thinkin’.

  30. I am impressed by the minor numbers drop. I do wonder if the fact that they postponed Jon’s “conclusion” until this episode contributed: after they did nothing to really wrapup Jon last week, many viewers probably started to wonder if Jon’s fate was not as sealed as they probably had assumed. (Mel’s “let’s make up for lack of nudity from over 35 women in one fell swoop” stunt might have made people remember that she can be capable of really powerful magic: and someone with the power to reverse age just might have the power to take it one step further and reverse death.)

    I now am very curious to see what happens next week. Do many reviewers revert to their “I’ll watch it in chunks” mode?

  31. Isn’t it pretty common for the premiere and finale of a season, of any show, to be the most-viewed?

  32. Hope to see Ser Loras in “Oathbreaker”. Two episodes in and just one short Margaery scene so far. Hoping that arc gets going soon.

  33. anon,

    He’s called Hodor because that’s all he ever says, rather than saying Hodor because that’s his name.

  34. Clob:
    Well, it is Mother’s Day in the US on Sunday, so….

    Eh, it will fluctuate all season for reasons unknown, like usual.

    My family knows better than to keep me from watching the first airing of GoT FOR ANY REASON!!

  35. I think the drop in numbers was noticable in the more illicit watching communities too. For the premiere, streaming sites were groaning under demand and I could barely watch the show continously. This week I found quite a few sites and they had little problem keeping up. Maybe people were waiting for the episode reviews to see if we would be subjected to Mel’s old lady form? :p

  36. Kundry: Nobody knows! It’s not explained i. The books either.

    That’s why we are all so anxious to find out this “hodor” thing

    I have been thinking about this and was wondering if it is a far fetched idea or not… but it seems to me that given the first Bran flashback, and the fact that Hodor once knew how to speak, that they might explore that more – how did he get stuck with Hodor. It really isn’t important to anything giving Hodor a back story, so then why open that door?

    So, I was thinking perhaps in their effort to streamline the story, they will not include Howleen Reed – but have it be Hodor who goes to the TOJ with Ned, where he is injured or perhaps the shock of failing Lyanna, reverts him? I don’t know – but Hodor knowing the truth all along… and Bran help get his speech back?

    I know it seems crazy, but my mind went there, so thoughts?

  37. Clob:
    Well, it is Mother’s Day in the US on Sunday, so….?

    Eh, it will fluctuate all season for reasons unknown, like usual.

    That is the reason I am less optimistic about any increase in ratings next week. My guess is it will be somewhere close to the ep 2 numbers. I hope I am wrong, though 🙂 .

  38. viki: I know it seems crazy, but my mind went there, so thoughts?

    I am pretty sure that we know that HR was cast.

  39. Bodog:
    I’m glad they brought back Snow in episode 2, now I feel like I can just focus on the plotlines going forward. Episodes 1 and 2 I was so hyperfocused on Snow and whether he was going to be revived or not, that I missed some other stuff.

    Episode 3 will be a doozy!

    Pretty much the same

    Can understand not doing it in the Premiere, I thought it may go out but the circus of speculation needed to end and now we can focus on the series, and episode 3 onwards is a good point to start.

    E2 was about rounding of Wo5K and embarking on new beginnings, although it seemed odd, Roose got stabbed like he stabbed Robb and of course Balon died after the reversal of the Ironborn invasion of the north

    As for the figures, it’s down but it is remaining very steady

    Will be interesting to see where things go from here following the big event at the end of the episode

  40. Unfortunately, for people like me who have their alarm go off at 3:30 a.m. staying up and watching GOT at 9 p.m. is really hard. I stayed up for the premiere and paid the price dearly the next day as the adrenaline pumped up by the episode kept me from sleeping until after midnight. For that reason when the alarm went off this past Sunday I immediately turned on GOT! I work in the publishing business and as much as I’d love to sit up every Sunday my body just can’t take it.:( This definitely skews the numbers when more people WANT to watch when it airs. Plus, does that count people who Torrent? No. I’m pretty sure it’s still the most downloaded torrent…lol.
    I cut the cord some time ago but I find HBONOW my greatest investment. Will I keep it after GOT is done? Well, that remains to be seen…lol.

  41. r-hard:
    All Hail Alt Shift X!

    Yeah he’s great, one of my favourites

    His comprehensive yet concise style mixed with a good window graphical approach is great

  42. I don’t understand how the ratings fluctuate so much. Who the hell is watching this show one week but not the next? It’s not exactly like watching Jeopardy or Modern Family or something…

  43. Maybe it’s because the absence of dany in this episode ..

    But seriously I don’t know why this is being taken seriously ..its been given that premiere and ending will have the most numbers and 8th and 9 the episode as well.

  44. Ryan,

    They watch it. On the internet perhaps and re-runs later in the week.

    It’s always been like this. People simply don’t think anything big will happen mid-season so they don’t really bother to watch it live.

    Next episode live ratings will go up, because people heard, saw Jon came back and will try to watch it when it first airs.

  45. Ryan: Who the hell is watching this show one week but not the next? It’s not exactly like watching Jeopardy or Modern Family or something…

    A lot of people hate watching series one installment at a time. “Binge watching” is very popular. So, people will watch 3 or 4 straight episodes periodically. (We do that for other series.)

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