Game of Thrones season 8 premiere smashes UK viewing record for series

Viewing figures are up on the season seven finale

Game of Thrones has smashed viewing figures for the series in the UK.

An impressive 3.39 million people watched the first episode of season eight on Sky Atlantic on Monday (15 April).

Of that number, 192,000 viewers stayed up to watch the 2am broadcast live, with that number increasing to 2.7 million when accounting for those who recorded the premiere.

Additionally, 698,000 viewers waited for the encore showing at 9pm that day.

Those overnight figures are 20 per cent up from the 2.83 million people who watched the season seven premiere, and an increase of 12 per cent from the season seven finale.

That does not include those people who watched the episode on NOW TV, the streaming service airing Game of Thrones in the UK.

Those figures are minimal compared to the 17.4 million people who watched the HBO show on TV and streaming. The broadcaster has said it was the “largest night of streaming activity ever”, with 50 per cent of viewers streaming the episode.

The reunion-heavy episode featured a hilarious reference to last season’s controversial Ed Sheeran cameo as well as the moment that saw Snow learn of his true Targaryen heritage.

The final season of Game of Thrones continues every Sunday. The show is available on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV in the UK.