Game of Thrones season 8 episode 3 ratings set another record

It really shouldn’t be much of a surprise to anyone that the Game of Thrones season 8 episode 3 ratings were massive. How could they be anything other than massive when you think about some of the hype that has surrounded this episode for months!? We’re talking about the Battle of Winterfell, an event anticipated for most of the past year, and also an episode that completely took over and dominated social media. It was even trending in the morning before the episode had aired!

Well, the numbers are now in, and via The Hollywood Reporter, the episode generated 17.8 million viewers including streaming numbers and repeat airings on the day. This is enough to surpass the season 8 premiere and make this the most-watched and most-successful episode of Game of Thrones we’ve seen — at least in terms of cumulative ratings for a single day. We do wonder still whether or not the show can inch towards 20 million viewers for the series finale, but we also don’t know how it can get any more successful than it is right now, especially when there are only so many people who have HBO in the first place. That’s at least something that has to be considered here if you’re hoping to see it hit that 20 million mark like we are.

Want to get our own take on the Battle of Winterfell? Then check out our personal breakdown in the video at the bottom of this article! Subscribe to CarterMatt on YouTube so you don’t miss our weekly review and preview videos and check out our Game of Thrones playlist for any commentary you may have missed.

What Game of Thrones is proving with these ratings (especially when the majority of them are live) is that there IS still that thirst for appointment viewing. It’s been essential the fabric of television history but over the past few years, Netflix and DVRs have worked to make it a little bit more of a thing of the past. We understand why viewers like to pattern viewing on their own schedule, but there is something quite special about sitting down and having the interactive living room (to use a phrase we first heard from Survivor host Jeff Probst) — communicating and sharing your thoughts on Twitter with most of the world while the episode is airing. Even just take a look at YouTube for the hundreds of “viewing Game of Thrones and reacting” videos out there! It’s a feeling that can’t be replicated by binge-watching a show and not being in the same place as many of your friends. It’s a unique experience and something that we still hope is valuable after Game of Thrones ends — which is, quite sadly, in just a matter of three episodes.

Game of Thrones has a small challenge in keeping the excitement at its peak following (spoiler alert if you’re behind) the death of the Night King. That was the biggest moment through the bulk of the series so far and trying to find a way to match that is not going to be easy. Yet, we do at least have another potential battlefield at King’s Landing and we’re sure that Cersei isn’t going to just hand the Seven Kingdoms over to Daenerys or Jon Snow, especially now that Daenerys’ armies have been depleted and Cersei just hired a massive army.

Want even more news regarding the next Game of Thrones?

Then be sure to visit the link here, as that’s where you can preview some of what’s coming on the next episode.

What do you think about the Game of Thrones season 8 episode 3 ratings, and do you think that they deserve any sort of record-breaking status? Be sure to share right now in the comments. (Photo: HBO.)