House of the Dragon creates history, becomes most-watched HBO TV show in Europe

"House of the Dragon", the prequel to Game of Thrones, exceeded all expectations by breaking previous records of viewership for a new title in the history of HBO streaming services.

By ET Spotlight Special | Aug 24, 2022, 06.14 PM IST

House of the Dragon, which is the prequel to "Game of Thrones",made its debut on HBO Max in Europe. And it garnered the largest ever audience for any new movie or series that has ever been streamed on an HBO streaming service.

At 3 am CET on Monday, the first episode of "House of the Dragon" went live on HBO Max across Central and Eastern Europe, the Nordics, the Netherlands, and Iberia, in a total of 21 European countries.

According to an HBO statement, the streaming platform witnessed an "unprecedented demand" that started in the early hours of Monday and reached its peak in the evening for "House of the Dragon". The statement didn't provide any viewing numbers.

Targaryens of the past, Dragons of the future. #HouseoftheDragon #HOTD pic.twitter.com/pRfWaKIUZE
— out of context house of the dragon (@oochotd) August 23, 2022

A representative of HBO Max said that "House of the Dragon" has broken the previous records for a new title on HBO and HBO Max in Europe. It was also mentioned that the series is by far the biggest launch in Europe for the HBO streaming service, as the number of viewers they got for the first episode was beyond all expectations.

With 1.9 million people turning in for "House of the Dragon" on Sky Atlantic and Comcast’s Sky in the neighbouring the UK, it was a record breaker, surpassing "Game of Thrones".

Moreover, in the US also, the premiere of "House of the Dragon" drew the largest audience across linear and HBO Max on Sunday night, drawing nearly 10 million viewers. This was an unprecedented turnout for a new HBO original series in the network's history.

The events in this 10-part series, which is based on the novel Fire & Blood by George R.R. Martin, occurred 200 years before the happenings of "Game of Thrones" and it relates to the story of the House Targaryen.

Over the coming nine Mondays, the other nine parts will be premiered. The "House of Dragon" series stars Matt Smith, Emma D’Arcy, Paddy Considine, Olivia Cooke, Eve Best, Fabin Frankel, Sonoya Mizuno, Steve Toussaint, Rhys Ifans, and Steve Toussaint.

George R.R. Martin. is both the executive producer and the co-creator of the series.