192,000 up till 2am for new Game of Thrones
FOR the show’s fans, it was the most anticipated TV series launch in recent memory.
And 192,000 people were so eager to see the start of the eighth season of fantasy drama Game of Thrones that they stayed up until 2am on Monday to watch it.
That was 70,000 more than the number who waited until the early hours for the start of the seventh series in 2017.
Some 2.5 million people recorded the episode and watched it later that day. A further 700,000 viewers tuned in when the episode was repeated 17 hours later at 9pm. The 3.4 million viewers in 24 hours is Sky’s biggest overnight audience ever.
Game of Thrones, which has been running for eight years, is based on novels by George R R Martin. The eighth series, starring Kit Harington as Jon Snow and Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen, cost a reported £69million to make.
The acclaimed show has won 47 Emmy awards, the most by a drama series, including Outstanding Drama Series trophies in 2015, 2016, and 2018.
Peter Dinklage, who plays Tyrion Lannister, has won three Emmys for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.