House of the Dragon Season 2 Premiere Viewership Fall 22% From Series Launch, But Set a Streaming Record
House of the Dragon managed to get a streaming record by attaining the biggest stream in a day. But its viewership fell down to 22% from the first season’s debut, in which the prequel launch earned 10 million viewers in 2022.
According to the report, 7.8 million people watched the first episode of the second season on Sunday. The first season earned an average of 29 million viewers per episode, calculated 90 days after its premiere. According to Nielson, Sunday was considered a low TV usage night, which may have affected the viewership.
As per Warner Bros Discovery, the second season’s premiere episode helped Max achieve the biggest streaming day ever, not only in the U.S. but also worldwide. WBD highlighted that season 2 achieved the biggest viewership that any other streamers have gained in Europe, where Max was launched there only in May.
The second season also created a streaming record in Latin America as it earned 33% more viewers growth compared to the first season premiere.
Despite the lower viewership, the second season received positive reviews from the critics. Rotten Tomatoes gave season 2 a 92% approval rating, while the first season received 93% for its debut.
House of the Dragon is a prequel to the popular Game of Thrones and the second series based on the A Song of Ice and Fire franchise. It was created by George R.R. Martin and Ryan Condal.
The second season was renewed five days after the first season’s premiere. Ryan Condal and Miguel Sapochnik served as showrunners in season 1, but after the end of the first season, Sapochnik departed from the show.
The first season got positive feedback from the critics and was praised for its portrayal of character, writing, visual effects, and score.
House of the Dragon Season 2 hit the screen on June 16. The cast of the second season includes Emma D’Arcy as Queen Rhaenyra, Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys, Rhys Ifans as Ser Otto Hightower, and Olivia Cooke as Queen Alicent Hightower.
The new episodes of the second season drop every Sunday on HBO and Max.