‘House of the Dragon’ Sets Huge HBO Record

House of the Dragon set new records for total viewership on HBO and HBO Max, even overtaking its predecessor, Game of Thrones. On Monday, HBO’s parent company Warner Bros. Discovery announced that House of the Dragon had officially become the most-viewed title on its streaming services in Europe, replacing Game of Thrones as the previous record-holder. Meanwhile, streaming views in the U.S. more than tripled the live TV ratings.

House of the Dragon can now claim more titles than the kings of Westeros, according to HBO. The show had 29 million viewers in the U.S., and its first season was the most-viewed series launch in HBO history. It broke viewership records in the U.S., Europe and Latin America. It surpassed the viewership of Game of Thrones Season 8 in Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan as well. HBO head Casey Bloys was ecstatic, which could be good news for the future of this franchise.

“We’re so thrilled to see House of the Dragon catch fire with Game of Thrones fans around the world, as well as new viewers who are discovering the world of Westeros for the first time,” Bloys said. “Congrats to George, Ryan, Miguel and the whole House of the Dragon team on an incredible first season.”

Strong ratings and reviews for House of the Dragon could be good news for at least six more TV crews out there right now. HBO has four more live-action Westeros spin-offs in the works right now, and at least two animated series as well. All six of those shows are in development but have not been greenlit to series or even to begin filming pilot episodes. However, with fans showing such strong interest in the Seven Kingdoms, the chances of another series can only get better.

The series with the most relation to House of the Dragon has the working title The Sea Snake. It would be a prequel about the earlier life of Corlys Velaryon, who is played by Steve Toussaint. In George R.R. Martin’s book Fire & Blood, Corlys single-handedly establishes the wealth and power of House Velaryon by making “nine great voyages” around the world on his trading ship, bringing home valuables and knowledge from far-flung cultures that fans have never seen before.

The Sea Snake would also tie in strongly to one of the animated series in the works, which is reportedly about the nation of Yi Ti. Based loosely on imperial China, this culture has only been mentioned in Martin’s work, and has never even been visited on the page, let alone on screen.

Meanwhile, the show with the closest relation to Game of Thrones is called SNOW. It is based on a treatment developed in part by Kit Harington and would have him return as Jon Snow after the events of Game of Thrones Season 8. Since there is no book material whatsoever to go on, there’s no telling what this show would be about.

Sadly, fans will have to wait quite a while before any of this work can come to fruition. House of the Dragon Season 1 is streaming now on HBO Max, but Season 2 is not expected to premiere until 2024. Martin’s books, including Fire & Blood, are available now in print, digital and audiobook formats.