On Sunday, May 19 viewers were treated to the conclusion of the HBO hit Game of Thrones. The finale of the show brought in a series record 19.3 million viewers, which broke the record set by the previous episode.
Game of Thrones has carried HBO over its eight-season stretch and averaged approximately 12 million viewers per episode in its final stretch run. Its conclusion presents huge challenges for HBO and its parent company AT&T (NYSE:T) going forward.
AT&T aims to compete with Netflix, Disney, and other streaming giants with its own service which is set for launch later this year. There has been some controversy in dealings between AT&T and HBO, as the telecom and entertainment giant reportedly wanted more content output from the studio in the years to come.
HBO has already planned Game of Thrones prequels, but it will be extremely difficult to challenge the popularity of its former flagship show.
The final season of Game of Thrones was a popular success but was a critical failure which alienated sections of its fanbase. This may negatively impact sentiment surrounding future projects.
The next two highest rated shows at HBO, Westworld and Barry, average only 1.6 million viewers. This is nearly 9x less than Game of Thrones.
HBO will be under tremendous pressure to produce ahead of the WarnerMedia streaming launch. This places its spot as a streaming giant behind Netflix and Disney as investors prepare for intensified competition into 2020.
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