Game of Thrones smashes Aussie audience records again

WINTER might have come for fans with the end of this season of Game of Thrones, but our love affair for the show is white-hot, with the finale smashing viewer records.

Crowning glory: The Game of Thrones season six finale busted Australian audience records. Picture: HBO

WINTER might have come for fans with the end of this season of Game of Thrones, but Australia’s love affair for dragons and double-dealing remains white hot, with the season six finale the most-watched program in Australian subscription television history.

The hit season six final episode of the hit HBO fantasy drama was the number one program on Foxtel on Monday.

It recorded a total audience of 737,000 with more viewers to add once the consolidated data becomes available.

The only show GoT had to beat for the record was itself — the previous record was set earlier this year when the premiere episode of season six drew 727,000 viewers.

The audience has held solid since — pulling in a cumulative average audience of 1.2 million viewers per episode — 45 per cent higher than in season five.

Foxtel said season-on-season, GoT in Australia’s audience growth since season one dwarfs growth around the world — in Australia the season six audience is 600 per cent (one million viewers) higher than in season one.

The cumulative audience comprises live and encore viewing over the first seven days following the initial premiere broadcast, time-shifted recorded playback, and viewing via Foxtel Anytime.

Brian Walsh, Foxtel’s Executive Director of Television, said, “This was an outstanding performance, which clearly impacted on opposition programming last night and demonstrates the significance of Foxtel and subscription television as a major entertainment provider.”