Game of Thrones Hits New Record Rating High For Penultimate Episode

Sunday’s episode of Game of Thrones was polarizing among fans, but it still set records for ratings and viewership. “The Bells” brought in 12.5 million viewers for its first airing on Sunday night, topping the record of 12.2 million for “The Long Night.” That shook out to a 5.41 demo rating.

As Deadline notes, the episode climbed to 18.4 million with digital data added in from HBO GO and HBO Now, setting a new record for a single broadcast episode for HBO. One would expect that the series finale could easily go even higher when it airs this Sunday.

Needless to say, the show topped the night with ease per Showbuzz Daily. The episode beat out all other programs on cable or broadcast television, more than double the #2 program in the NBA Playoffs game on TNT (2.49 demo rating, 6.935 million viewers). By comparison, the highest-rated show on broadcast television for the day was the NBA Playoffs game on ABC, which was hampered somewhat by airing in the afternoon and brought in a 1.8 demo rating and 6.337 million viewers.