Leaks aside, Game of Thrones is up 76%.
More legal viewers than ever, despite online leaks for Foxtel's brand-defining drama.
- Published by David Knox
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- Filed under Subscription
Yesterday’s premiere of the fifth season of Game of Thrones drew huge audiences, despite the series leaking online.
The episode screened live with over 170 countries at 11amAEST to 242,000 viewers followed by a prime-time replay at 7.30pm at 311,000.
That was well up on premiere numbers last season (2014: 158,000 / 115,000).
A combined cumulative average audience totalled 553,000 viewers – a huge 76 per cent increase on last season. After becoming the highest single show on one day, Foxtel has claimed it as “the most watched series in Australian Subscription Television history.”
The numbers are good news amid recurring claims that so many Aussies resort to illegal sourcing of content.
TorrentFreak reports the UK was #1 for illegally downloading the premiere episode, up 9.8% on 2014, followed by the US, India and Canada. Australia was in #8 spot, up 3.1% hopefully putting to rest suggestions we are the biggest downloaders of the show.
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5 Responses
1st episode was poor just droned along I know its “Game of Thrones” but now it’s getting boring and same old same old.
Vikings is a better show in my opinion. Maybe the two shows can do a crossover?
Out of interest.. why do you allow Foxtel to get away combining their separate broadcast ratings into 1 figure, (ie include the extra airings) but yet you won’t report on the other channels when they simulcast? Or combine encore number with main airings?
The Foxtel 7:30 edition of GoT… got… 248,000…
Even in your ratings wrap, you’ve listed the GoT 730 it as 279… Here it’s 311,000… who knows, tomorrow it will be 1m+ !
Not sure I subscribe with the language of your question, but it comes back to industry standard. Standard for FTA where commercial networks are competing for advertising dollars in timeslots to measure performance where all things are equal. I do report on simulcasts where the numbers are separated. TV Tonight also publishes combined simulcast numbers under Ratings. Standard for STV has always differed, with regional viewers and additional channels because it is a different platform to FTA. You’ve raised your disagreement in the past and I’ve again responded, but at some point we will have to agree to disagree, thx.
Australia is highest in per capital downloads, but will never top a list of total downloads because of our small population.
Foxtel’s fee reductions have successfully boosted subscriber numbers, despite the arrival of Netflix, Stan, Presto etc.