‘Game of Thrones’ season 6 finale sets viewership records

It is now 100% official: The finale for “Game of Thrones” season 6 was indeed massive and then some!

Just how massive are we talking here? Let’s just say that this episode smashed records both in terms of the 18-49 demographic (a 4.4 rating) and total viewers (just under 8.9 million). Just remember that these are only the live ratings, and these numbers will probably balloon over the coming weeks when you factor in DVR views and other measures that HBO can tabulate.

It’s easy to figure out why the numbers would be so earth-shattering here, starting with the simple fact that this was the season finale for a show that has been universally loved; it also came after “The Battle of the Bastards,” one of the best episodes that has been put out there on the show in years. We also feel like it benefits the show that there is a known end date in sight, and there is less of a sentiment that we are going on here without a clear end. Our feeling is that this hurts “The Walking Dead,” another cable show with huge ratings.

Overall, these finale ratings push season 6 ahead of season 5 by almost 10% in the demo, and by almost 12% in total viewers. For any show to be posting these sort of year-to-year increases so far into the run is incredible, and something that HBO really has to be proud of. We’ll have some more news on the finale and unraveling some of what could be coming up moving into the future.

If you are interested in getting some other news when it comes to “Game of Thrones,” be sure to head over to the link here right now! Also, sign up over here to secure some other TV news on all we cover, sent right over to you via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: HBO.)