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Game Of Thrones Season 8 Premiere Draws 17.4 Million Viewers - Setting Multi-Platform Record

Game Of Thrones Season 8 Premiere Draws 17.4 Million Viewers - Setting Multi-Platform Record

The Season 7 premiere averaged 16.1 million compared to the final series of the show which first aired on Sunday evening

Rebecca Shepherd

Rebecca Shepherd

You'll be pleased to know that this article is a spoiler-free zone. If you are, in fact, after a spoiler then click here, or here or, alternatively - join LADbible's Game of Thrones: Westeros Posting group on Facebook.

So we all know that the eighth and final season of Game of Thrones is happening - it's officially begun. We waited 595 days and if anything says it was worth it, it's record-breaking viewing figures.

HBO - the network that brought us the phenomenon on Sunday evening (early Monday morning for the UK) - released the numbers showing that 17.4 million of us tuned in to watch the first episode.

Not quite the billion that was initially expected then. But still.

And the viewing numbers are only due to increase, because that 17.4 million only represents the figures from Sunday night - it doesn't include Monday's Sky Atlantic showing for the UK audience.

In comparison, the seventh instalment of Game of Thrones brought with it an average of 16.1 million viewers. The highest amount the series has ever seen was for the Season 7 finale which brought in 16.9 million viewers.

According to Variety, Sunday night's figures indicate the largest night of streaming activity ever for HBO.

If you fancied speculating on how this season is going to end then look no further because science has the answer you may be looking for. Or at least it claims to have anyway.

Researchers from the Technical University of Munich have predicted who is most likely to take the top spot and perch of the coveted Iron Throne.

The algorithms suggest that Daenerys Targaryen has the highest chance (99 percent) of surviving the harrowing Game of Thrones world with Tyrion Lannister following swiftly behind with a survival chance of 97 percent.

According to the study, being born in Winterfell to the House of Stark - as well as only being married once - seems to increase the chances that Sansa Stark will be eliminated in the upcoming season, as her predicted likelihood of death is 73 percent.

Sucks to be Sansa Stark - if the algorithms are right that is.
HBO

There obviously isn't a guarantee that this will be accurate, so don't go putting your savings on any of these outcomes, we beg you.

But it is worth taking into consideration that back in 2016 and just before the airing of Season 6, students on the same course created an algorithm that accurately predicted Jon Snow's resurrection. Some would say that represents 100 percent accuracy...

The second episode of the eighth season of Game of Thrones lands on HBO on Sunday 21 April for viewers in the United States, while the UK can get their fix the next day on Monday 22 April.

Featured Image Credit: HBO

Topics: Entertainment, TV and Film, Game of Thrones