Will True Detective actually benefit from big Game of Thrones reveal?

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This weekend, HBO is finally going to use the season 3 premiere of True Detective in order to make a big Game of Thrones announcement. To be specific, they are going to announce the official premiere date for the final season! It’s glorious news, and we absolutely do think that this is something many longtime fans of the series have been looking forward to for quite some time.

Obviously, the implication behind announcing the premiere date when they are is simple: HBO wants people to check out True Detective and they think that this is a way to bring some attention to the show.

Yet, do we actually think that it will get the show any more viewers than it already has? Probably not. We’re in an age of almost-instant information and because of that, we’re sure that the premiere date will be online approximately two seconds after it is unveiled on HBO. If the internet wasn’t a thing, maybe this would get the network some more subscribers. As it is, though, not so much.

Doesn’t HBO assume this is going to be the case, though? Probably, and that’s why we don’t really think that they were looking for more viewers directly because of this. Instead, we imagine that the network’s goal all along was to just get more people talking and/or thinking about True Detective and with that in mind, they’ve succeeded. It’s a nice reminder to the people that the show is on tomorrow night, which may prove valuable given that there are so many distractions — in particular when it comes to the NFL playoffs. After a long day of football, it may be hard for viewers to even remember to check out a new show.

What is HBO expecting for True Detective season 3?

If the show manages to get two million live viewers an episode, this could be enough to make HBO satisfied. It would be a hefty drop from the show’s season 2 average — despite the negative reaction from critics), the ratings for the season 2 finale (at least in terms of live numbers) weren’t actually all that much from the premiere. Could it be (gasp!) that most of the internet backlash for season 2 was overblown?

The biggest reason to expect lower numbers for season 3 is simply the fact that there are fewer live viewers everywhere these days — also, it’s been years since True Detective was even on the air.

Related News Be sure to get some more news right now when it comes to True Detective season 3

What do you want to see when it comes to True Detective season 3, and do you think that it will be a ratings hit on HBO? Share now in the comments. (Photo: HBO.)

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