With several Game of Thrones shows at different stages at HBO, including animated series and live-action entries, such as the Targaryen-based House of the Dragon debuting in August, and the recently announced Jon Snow-based spin-off in development with actor Kit Harrington set to reprise the role that made him famous, the question stands: Is Game of Thrones still in demand?
When examining the most in-demand original series on HBO Max over the last 30 days, Game of Thrones is still the most in-demand series on the platform by a large margin.
The fantasy series boasts an average demand of nearly 50 times that of all other TV series in the United States within the same time period. That puts it squarely in the exceptional category, which only 0.2% of shows ever reach — and that’s three years after the series ended.
Additionally, Game of Thrones remains the most in-demand series globally when looking at data over the last five years. It’s an impressive feat and evidence there’s still an audience interested in more Game of Thrones stories.
When looking at other HBO and HBO Max original titles that also show strong demand, there’s a strong presence from other IP-heavy series, including DC’s Young Justice and Titans, but many are original titles without any connection to prior established worlds.
Pirate comedy Our Flag Means Death, for example, has 32.4 times the average demand of all series within the last 30 days, putting it in the outstanding category, which only 2.7% of shows reach.
Barry, which saw its third season premiere on April 24, and was met with critical acclaim and love from fans, also shows a solid average demand score of 27.6 times the average demand of all other series in the U.S.
And Euphoria, which saw its second season end months ago, is still a top 10 title on HBO and HBO Max when it comes to demand, holding onto an average demand score of 22.3 times other series in the U.S. months later.
While Barry, Our Flag Means Death and Euphoria all boast remarkable average demand scores, what Game of Thrones can accomplish is appealing to a wider mainstream audience instead of more specific taste clusters. Game of Thrones was one of HBO’s first true mainstream hits, years after The Sopranos found its audience (first on HBO, and then largely via DVD sales) and Sex and the City landed.
Game of Thrones made up 4% of demand share for all of HBO and HBO Max programming between May 29 and June 29, 2022. Considering there hasn’t been a new Game of Thrones installment since the show ended in 2019, that’s impressive. Especially when comparing it to new series like Barry and Our Flag Means Death, which are more recent but make up a smaller portion of overall demand market share on the platform.
There’s no telling whether a new Game of Thrones series will capture the same cultural zeitgeist as the original, but in terms of audience demand, there’s certainly a very strong audience looking for more Game of Thrones content.
