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House of the Dragon Season 2 premiere viewership drops 50% compared to Season 1

Did House of the Dragon veer away a bit too much from the plot?

Published

6 months ago

June 18, 2024

Sayantan Choudhary

Image: HBO

House of the Dragon enjoys popularity for various reasons, notably as a sequel to HBO’s highly successful Game of Thrones. This not only guaranteed an existing audience eager for the show but also set a high bar of expectations for it to meet. And it seems like the expectations are finally catching up with the viewership, which has declined significantly.

House of the Dragon Season 2 premiere attracted only half of Season 1’s crowd

Interest in HBO/Max’s original series “House of the Dragon” seems to be diminishing with its second season. Adapted from George R. R. Martin’s “Fire & Blood,” the premiere of Season 2 was viewed by 1.3 million U.S. households on HBO/Max during its first day on June 16, as reported by Samba TV, which measures viewership using smart-TV data and ranks streaming programs by their reach in U.S. households.

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In comparison, House of the Dragon Season 1 was watched by 2.3 million households during the first-day window on Aug. 21, 2022.

Credits: Max

House of the Dragon Season 1 remains HBO’s one of the most successful premieres yet

Last year, HBO reported that nearly 10 million people watched the premiere of House of the Dragon through its official channels. This number is likely much higher considering the episode was leaked a day before its official airing. Tracking the exact number of people who pirated the episode is impossible, but it’s certainly not a small figure.

For comparison, this viewership is more than double the 4.2 million viewers that the Game of Thrones premiere attracted. However, it’s worth noting that HBO’s accessibility was significantly more restricted in 2011 when Game of Thrones first premiered. Even the much-criticized finale of the show captivated around 18 million viewers.

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Sayantan Choudhary

Sayantan is a keen follower of everything pop culture; from films, shows, anime to video games and latest memes. He started writing professionally for Wiki of Thrones during the 2021 lockdown, and has been developing his writing and editing skills ever since. Sayantan has since worked for several reputed firms, such as Collider and FandomWire, gathering experience and nods from some of the best in the industry. With a growing repertoire amassing renowned websites, Sayantan is your go to guy for all things Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon. When he is not hunting for headlines and theories, you can find him engrossed in fantasy shows, conspiracy theories and video games.