The first season of Game of Thrones had an average of 2.5 million viewers for its first Sunday night screenings, and an average gross audience of 9.3 million viewers per episode including all repeats and on-demand viewings.[146] For its second season, Game of Thrones had an average gross audience of 11.6 million viewers.[147] The third season was watched by 14.2 million, making Game of Thrones the second most-viewed HBO series after The Sopranos.[148][149] HBO said season 4's average gross audience of 18.4 million viewers, beating The Sopranos for the record.[150]
Some journalists assumed Game of Thrones has a predominantly male audience, Nielsen Media Research data indicated 42% of viewers in 2013 were female.[151]
The following graph shows viewer numbers for the first airings: