HBO drama series, renewed for Season 3
“House of the Dragon” is back, but the numbers are not quite as strong this time around. The second season premiered on Sunday night, drawing 7.8 million viewers across both linear and streaming platforms, as reported by Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD). This figure represents a significant drop compared to the approximately 10 million viewers who tuned in for the Season 1 debut.
WBD did not specify the distribution of viewership between linear TV and streaming, but the company did note that Max experienced its best day ever on Sunday, thanks to the “House of the Dragon” premiere. Samba TV data further highlighted the decline, showing that only 1.3 million U.S. households watched the Season 2 premiere on HBO and Max, a steep fall from the 2.6 million who watched the Season 1 premiere.
This isn’t the start HBO was hoping for, but there’s still potential for the season to pick up steam. Weekly viewership numbers might prove to be a more important indicator of the show’s success than the premiere night’s audience alone. In the week leading up to the Season 2 premiere, about 1 million viewers rewatched Season 1, marking the highest engagement the series has seen in over a year and a half. This suggests that Season 2 could gain more viewers as the season progresses and audiences catch up.
The show’s performance outside the U.S. tells a slightly different story. In Latin America, the Season 2 premiere broke streaming records, with a 30% increase in viewership compared to the Season 1 premiere. This achievement marks the biggest launch for Max in the region, according to WBD.
“House of the Dragon” is helmed by co-creator and executive producer George R.R. Martin, co-creator and co-showrunner Ryan Condal, co-showrunner and director Miguel Sapochnik, and executive producers Sara Hess, Jocelyn Diaz, Vince Gerardis, and Ron Schmidt. The series is based on Martin’s “Fire & Blood.”
Wrapping Up
Despite a rocky start in viewership numbers for the Season 2 premiere, “House of the Dragon” shows promise of recovering as weekly engagement builds and audiences reimmerse themselves in the series. International success, particularly in Latin America, also offers a silver lining for the franchise. As the story unfolds, it remains to be seen whether the viewership will rise to meet the high expectations set by its predecessor.
Stream “House of the Dragon” on Max and catch up on the drama, intrigue, and fire that define this epic series.
Source: Deadline
