After weeks of record-breaking ratings, “Game of Thrones” is fast becoming one of TV’s most-watched series, rivaling cable behemoth “The Walking Dead.”
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the sex-and-swords drama is averaging 18 million viewers in its fourth season — when repeats, On Demand, streaming and DVR viewing are factored in. That “gross average” more than doubles the ratings for its premieres, which are drawing about 7.2 million viewers Sundays at 9 p.m.
That easily makes “Thrones” the biggest series on HBO, and is even approaching the high mark of 18.2 million viewers set by “The Sopranos” in 2002, according to THR. It’s also nipping at the heels of “The Walking Dead,” which averaged 18.4 million viewers in Live+7 ratings in its most recent season.
On broadcast TV, only three series — “Sunday Night Football,” “NCIS” and “The Big Bang Theory” — beat the average “GoT” viewership.