Game of Thrones Scores Ratings Are In

[Lord Godric]

I really cant believe that HBO is truly concerned with just the rating for the single showing of the premier. If they were, they would not have played it 2 more times after the airing, causing a predicable split in viewing times. The show set a DVD sales record for goodness sake, I think they just don't want an embarrassingly colossal drop off.

HBO doesn't care about ratings all the much at all, they've said so many times. But they really don't care about the 3.9 million number. They take into account all the viewings during the week both on television and on HBOGO or HBO On Demand.

[ServantOnIce]

If the Borgias which Game of Thrones pwnd is coming back this season, I think we may have a season 3 and that may be it. The show is too expensive (yes i am beating a drum, I remember what happened to Rome).

[Ferrum Aeternum]

If the Borgias which Game of Thrones pwnd is coming back this season, I think we may have a season 3 and that may be it. The show is too expensive (yes i am beating a drum, I remember what happened to Rome).

I don't think so. This show is blowing Rome out of the water ratings- and buzz-wise.

[AquariumDrinker]

I don't think so. This show is blowing Rome out of the water ratings- and buzz-wise.

And DVD sales-wise.

I wonder if there is a noticeable change in subscription numbers. I added HBO before the show aired last year and cancelled when the season was over. I am doing the same this year, as well.

[The Anti-Targ]

If the Borgias which Game of Thrones pwnd is coming back this season, I think we may have a season 3 and that may be it. The show is too expensive (yes i am beating a drum, I remember what happened to Rome).

IMO this show is being sold into so many countries that HBO is possibly making back its production budget from foreign revenue alone, which makes the domestic subs and DVD/Blu-ray sales 100% gravy. GoT is a gravy train, why would HBO jump off?

Sure if HBO ONLY looked at production budget they'd drop the show like a hot potato. But if they look at RoI then there's no reason to axe the show for the forseeable future. I don't think they can go wrong with aSoS. But aFfC+aDwD has copped a bit of qualitative flak, i.e. the series peaked in quality with aSoS (or even aCoK) [edit] in some peoples' opinions. So it's entirely possible that the first season to substantially cover aFfC and aDwD content might start to see a substantial fall off in viewers.

Hence I'm very confident we'll see 2 more seasons, and pretty confident we'll get to 5 seasons total. But season 5 might be the turning point season where viewer fatigue and loss in quality both start kick in and HBO decides to pull the plug. So I think 6 seasons and beyond are borderline unlikely.

[Noelle Snow]

Well they're doing something right. Showtime was smart enough to change the viewing time for The Borgias to 10pm instead of 9 like it was last year. Hence they won't have to deal with the original airing of GoT, just the encore presentation.

[Padraig]

The show is too expensive (yes i am beating a drum, I remember what happened to Rome).

I'm not sure that logic applies. HBO doesn't have to give GoT the budget it gets. It can't be small but instead of a 15% increase for S2, it could have got a 5% increase. If they were certainly very worried about the cost, that would have been an obvious option.

So it's entirely possible that the first season to substantially cover aFfC and aDwD content might start to see a substantial fall off in viewers.

I'm not sure about this either. D&D are prepared to make changes to the text when required. No reason why they can't create a version of aFfC/aDwD that appeals to the masses. A bigger issue for me is just keeping the series fresh once we get to S4/S5. But the advantage of the books is that so much happens each season that it shouldn't feel at all stagnant.

[Ran]

Anti-Targ,

Foreign sales last year amounted to about a third to half of the budget.

The general impression I have is that S1 will probably paid for itself when combined with Blu-ray/DVD sales and merchandising. S2 is a question mark, of course, as it's also a bit more expensive (it's in the $60-$70 million range, vs. the $50-60 million range of last season).

[boojam]

I'm not sure about this either. D&D are prepared to make changes to the text when required. No reason why they can't create a version of aFfC/aDwD that appeals to the masses. A bigger issue for me is just keeping the series fresh once we get to S4/S5. But the advantage of the books is that so much happens each season that it shouldn't feel at all stagnant.

Financial Times reported this year that Time-Warner restructured their overseas market, it is thought they will make one billion this year. I don't know if that because GOT has done so well in international markets?

In fact I wonder if HBO is still expanding their international market?

I still think they could do a smarter job of marketing their DVD sales, I have a number of friends who wanted to see the series earlier because they don't subscribe to HBO (actually they fall in the class who could afford it, but are cheapskates.)

I don't know how the cost/benefit works works for HBO, for a show that costs about $5m an episode they sure seem to be getting their money's worth.

One totally unscientific observation. Non readers of genre like ASOIaF I know got hooked after episode 4 , or by word of mouth. Episode 9 was such a zinger they said they had to see what episode 10 was going to do. Many seem to think 9 was the pinnacle episode , but among my friends they thought 10 trumped 9, which made them hungry for season 2!

Do we really know if season 2 really finishes with CoK? There is enough CoK and SoS , structured well, to make up three seasons. Looks as if episode 9 will be the spike of this season, but 10 is going to have leave the non rabid viewers slavering for season 3.

I can see enough narrative in novels 2 and 3 to do build great episodes out of seasons 3, 4 and 5.

Then D&D are going to have to talk to George how to punch up FoC and ADwD.

Gad! Thats three , well almost 4, years off...a lot could happen.

(HBO , after cancellation of Deadwood said they would pony up for two 2 hour films to wrap up, but seems to me David Milch's mind was elsewhere. That would be an interesting way to end GOT and and I don't think D&D would be distracted.)

[boojam]

If the Borgias which Game of Thrones pwnd is coming back this season, I think we may have a season 3 and that may be it. The show is too expensive (yes i am beating a drum, I remember what happened to Rome).

I like The Borgias, though some of the youngsters in the supporting cast are a bit weak, GOT has got em trumped there.

The story seems to follow the Mario Puzo novel, tho I don't know if they cite it. Using the novel or even historically they have only two seasons material, maybe two and half of real material before they have to fabricate something.

I can't see Showtime running this past three seasons , if it makes it past this one.

[StarkBlack21]

WE GETTING THE TULLYS. Go to HBO's updated interactive Map/SIGILS. They have House Tully with EDMURE'S NAME and HOSTER. We will be getting Tully's next year. Unfortunately it looks like the BLACKFISH has been cut completely. His name is not mentioned. Also click on the CRAG, there is a good chance the REEDS show up next year,

Some bad news, though. They REMOVED GREATJON from under House Stark, I think that means they are axing him from the series. Also under HOUSE GREYJOY they have AERON & EURON, but no VICTARION. I think they might be cutting VICTARION from the series, which is crazy, since he's a POV character from FEAST & DRAGONS.

[Brienne the Beauty]

I think they might be cutting VICTARION from the series, which is crazy, since he's a POV character from FEAST & DRAGONS.

You could combine Aeron and Victarion's roles easily.

[boojam]

It's the full week figures that matter. Sky made a big deal about Sky Anywhere and so on, and I think we'll find that a lot more people decided when it was convenient to them. We'll know next week, I expect, what the real total viewership is.

I would say they hit it out of the park with just that 3.9 m punch.

I am guessing D&D are ones who have to crank out the budget, with help I am sure, that must be some process, lord! I don't know how they do it!

No doubloons no dragoons.

(There that's better.)

[Baitac]

HBO just received a Peabody Award for Game of Thrones. This series is gold. It draws from so many populations: the readers of the books, the converts from the show, lovers of period pieces, lovers of the fantasy genre, and lovers of HBO in general. I cannot underscore the importance of HBOGo. There is simply no app like it. The quality of the video and audio is perfect. The portability of this channel and its 24/7 availability of content is simply groundbreaking. The app's marriage to iPad is phenomenal. This has got to make a difference in viewership. To watch HBO while in a hotel or waiting at a doctor's office. WOW.

[Werthead]

The show is too expensive (yes i am beating a drum, I remember what happened to Rome).

Several points to remember:

Rome was much more expensive than GoT. $100 million per season compared to GoT's $60 million (for S1) and $69 million (for S2). It got significantly less ratings. Its DVD sales were extremely good, but HBO cancelled the show before Season 1 even came out on DVD, and never counted it into their figures.

In addition, Rome was co-funded with the BBC. The BBC contributed 15% of the show's budget. Due to the BBC's mis-scheduling of the show and horrible editing of it, the show bombed on the BBC and the BBC declined to renew their funding agreement after the second season. HBO's bean-counters also said that Season 1 of Rome got good figures only because of the lead-in from The Sopranos, which it wouldn't have for S2 (actually, the figures remained static). So HBO cancelled the show. Since then, DVD sales and foreign sales have meant that HBO could have continued turning a profit even if they'd self-funded the show entirely and kept the budget as high as it was. As a result of this, HBO now much more carefully factor DVD sales into their considerations (and have even said they regret cancelling Rome and are looking to fund a movie to make up for it).

Compare this to GoT's ratings (much higher than Rome's), overseas sale (much better than Rome's), costs (much lower than Rome's), buzz (much higher than Rome's) and DVD sales (much better than Rome's) and the new, more thoughtful and careful ethos in play at HBO, and it seems improbable that GoT will not run for at least several more seasons.

As long as they don't kill any horses, we should be fine.

[Padraig]

Do we really know if season 2 really finishes with CoK? There is enough CoK and SoS , structured well, to make up three seasons.

D&D have said that they have moved some aSoS material into S2 but they have also moved some aCoK material into S3, so its much of a muchness.

WE GETTING THE TULLYS. Go to HBO's updated interactive Map/SIGILS.

This is probably discussed elsewhere but i'm not sure how much you can take from that site. The Tully's were mentioned in S1, so its not like they are totally ignored. We even have HBO Tully merchandise. Although, at the same time, I do expect we'll see the Tully's in S3. But anyhow, I think that site is mostly reflective of who will appear in this season and drawing definite conclusions for beyond S2 is less logical. At the same time, there might have been an issue getting back the actor that played the Greatjon and he is dropped. Or the site could just be verifying he wouldn't be appearing in S2. And yes, easy enough to drop one of the Greyjoy brothers.

[The Anti-Targ]

Anti-Targ, Foreign sales last year amounted to about a third to half of the budget. The general impression I have is that S1 will probably paid for itself when combined with Blu-ray/DVD sales and merchandising. S2 is a question mark, of course, as it's also a bit more expensive (it's in the $60-$70 million range, vs. the $50-60 million range of last season).

Would that be sales only into markets where HBO itself doesn't have its own subsidiary doing the broadcasting? Like UK's Sky Atlantic and Sky TV here in NZ have to puchase off HBO? How much would Sky Altlantic pay for a season like GoT? Hundreds of thousands? 10s of thousands? A cool million?

I suppose I was also thinking about foreign revenues from their own HBO satelite broadcasters too, but that revenue is so hard to quantify unless you can show a spike in subs just before the season starts, then cancellations of subs just after the season finishes.

I would think HBO can sell S2 to foreign broadcasters for a hihger % increase than then % increase of the production budget, now that it's a known and pupluar product. Though if UK ratings don't pick up Sky Altantic might be a little bit miffed if they paid more for S2 than they did for S1.

[StarkBlack21]

D&D have said that they have moved some aSoS material into S2 but they have also moved some aCoK material into S3, so its much of a muchness.

This is probably discussed elsewhere but i'm not sure how much you can take from that site. The Tully's were mentioned in S1, so its not like they are totally ignored. We even have HBO Tully merchandise. Although, at the same time, I do expect we'll see the Tully's in S3. But anyhow, I think that site is mostly reflective of who will appear in this season and drawing definite conclusions for beyond S2 is less logical. At the same time, there might have been an issue getting back the actor that played the Greatjon and he is dropped. Or the site could just be verifying he wouldn't be appearing in S2. And yes, easy enough to drop one of the Greyjoy brothers.

There;s been a lot of conflicting reports -- can anyone confirm if Greatjon is dropped from the series? or is it that he just won't be in Season 2 and will be back in Season 3? It would suck if he was cut, it was great casting Clive Mantle, plus they spent a lot of time establishing him as one of Robb's bannerman and right hand.

[williamjm]

Would that be sales only into markets where HBO itself doesn't have its own subsidiary doing the broadcasting? Like UK's Sky Atlantic and Sky TV here in NZ have to puchase off HBO? How much would Sky Altlantic pay for a season like GoT? Hundreds of thousands? 10s of thousands? A cool million?

I would think HBO can sell S2 to foreign broadcasters for a hihger % increase than then % increase of the production budget, now that it's a known and pupluar product. Though if UK ratings don't pick up Sky Altantic might be a little bit miffed if they paid more for S2 than they did for S1.

Sky apparently bought the exclusive British and Irish rights to HBO's entire past and present programming output (apart from shows which were already licensed to other channels, such as True Blood) for 5 years for £150 million, which would include all the rights to Game of Thrones. Therefore, they wouldn't have to pay more for season 2 of GoT, but they were paying a high price anyway so HBO will be get plenty of money from them.

[Tywin's bastard]

If the Borgias which Game of Thrones pwnd is coming back this season, I think we may have a season 3 and that may be it. The show is too expensive (yes i am beating a drum, I remember what happened to Rome).

HBO has said that it was probably a mistake to cancel Rome, because they never expected it to generate so much money on DVD sales.

But even if we disregard that, GoT is considerably less expensive than Rome was. GoT draws higher ratings than Rome did and is the biggest international seller ever for HBO (it earns twice as much as The Sopranos did in the foreign markets). It also sells very well on DVD/BD. Add the fact that there's a lot of buzz around GoT and it's clear that HBO will definitely not cancel this show unless something negative happens.