HBO renews ‘House of the Dragon’ after 20 million watch first episode

“Game of Thrones” prequel series “House of the Dragon” has been renewed for a second season, HBO said Friday.

The announcement comes after more than 20 million people have now watched the first episode, according to Nielsen and first party data collected by HBO. The show garnered almost 10 million views across linear and HBO Max platforms the night of its release last Sunday. That was the largest audience of any new original series in HBO’s history.

The show, a spin-off of HBO’s “Game of Thrones” hit, takes place centuries before the popular series. It was initially approved for a 10-episode season in 2019.

The success of the show is being closely watched, as many see it as a barometer for HBO’s success in the streaming wars. Warner Bros. Discovery has been cutting costs and retooling its strategy at HBO, including with the deletion of shows and movies from the platform to better tailor its offerings. The moves come ahead of HBO Max’s merger with Discovery+.

The debut of “House of the Dragon” also comes as Amazon nears the release of “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” series.