Game of Thrones' controversial finale is also its most-watched episode ever
Note: The following article contains minor spoilers from the season eight finale.
For better or worse, Game of Thrones went out with an incredible amount of people watching.
Sunday's finale 'The Iron Throne' may have been yet another controversial entry in a hugely divisive final season, but HBO in the US has announced that it was also the most-watched episode in the channel's history.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, 'The Iron Throne' was watched by 13.6 million for its premiere on HBO on Sunday (May 19) at 9pm on ET - and that number rises to the jaw-dropping 19.3 million when initial repeats and streaming are added.
The previous record was set just one week earlier, when the Battle for King's Landing in 'The Bells' was watched by 12.5 million viewers live. That figure rose to 18.4 million viewers with streaming and repeats.
Viewers have seemingly been split on 'The Iron Throne', with the divide in opinion remaining fairly even in Digital Spy's own current poll asking readers to rate the last-ever Game of Thrones episode.
One downside to having millions watching your episode is that they pick up on technical slip-ups. That happened again this week when viewers spotted water bottles in frame just two weeks after the coffee cup debacle.
Still, there is much to debate and think about after the 'The Iron Throne'. Some fans believe that the show's ending was actually foreshadowed in the very first episode of Game of Thrones some nine years ago.
There are also questions about whether the series ever fulfilled one of author George R.R. Martin's most famed prophecies from the Song of Ice and Fire books, as well as a deeper explanation for why the final scene played out the way it did.
Fans now have an endless Winter to debate these topics…
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Game of Thrones season 8 airs on HBO in the US and Sky Atlantic and NOW TV in the UK. Tune in to Digital Spy's Game of Thrones livestreams on Monday evenings, straight after each episode, on Instagram and Facebook.
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