'Game of Thrones' Phenomenon: Is It as Big as It Seems?
by EG
If you're a fan of "Game of Thrones," you probably can't stop talking about it, and if you're not a fan, you probably are completely sick of hearing about it. Talk of Westeros and Daenerys Targaryen is everywhere, and "GoT" is looking a lot like the current hottest show on television. But do the numbers bear out that perception? Is "GoT" really as popular as the hype suggests?
Consider the ratings for last week's episode. The episode of "GoT" that aired on April 27 set a series high mark for total viewership, with 6.9 million total viewers. That was enough to make it the most-watched show on cable for the night. It's something to be proud of, considering that it was up against an NBA playoff game on TNT. But the next-closest competitor was a rerun of "Law & Order" on USA.
The numbers don't look quite so hot when you throw network programming into the mix. In its time slot, both "The Good Wife" on CBS and "Resurrection" on ABC beat "GoT" in total viewership, and "Resurrection" walloped "GoT" in the crucial 18-49 demographic, too.
"GoT" is only the most-watched show on cable because "The Walking Dead" is between seasons and "Breaking Bad" is finished; both those series have regularly boasted twice the total viewership that "GoT" is enjoying.
What we can say without qualification is that "GoT" is the hottest show on HBO right now. It's eclipsed the ratings that "True Blood" has been able to draw in recent years, and it's flirting with the numbers posted by "The Sopranos" in days gone by. HBO tweaks its ratings numbers by adding in the viewership of encore presentations (although you'd assume that this doesn't constitute many more additional unique viewers) and streaming on HBO GO, so it claims that "GoT" is attracting around 14 million total viewers. The fact is that any HBO programming is hampered by the network's relatively small subscriber base and its proprietary approach to streaming rights, and "GoT" is doing remarkably well, considering.
What does it all mean? It means that "GoT" is the hottest show on television that most people don't have the opportunity to watch.