"Game of Thrones" season 5 premiere episode aired on Sunday.
Before that though, the HBO show based on the books of George RR Martin encountered a major setback as the pilot, as well as next three episodes, were leaked on the internet.
The show is one of the most anticipated this month. "GoT" is aware of this and so, they have made several gimmicks for fans to enjoy the premiere episode, including the idea of screening it on IMAX. Unfortunately, the leak happened.
Of course, the show must go on despite this setback. "Game of Thrones" season 5 premiere still has to air. Now, the question is, did the leak affect the pilot episode ratings-wise? Reports say it hardly shaken the show's first ever episode since last year.
According to a report by Variety, the "Game of Thrones" season 5 premiere episode ratings performance was much better than its season 3 debut.
The entertainment website wrote:
"Once considered something of a niche show, "Thrones" is now delivering numbers topped on cable only by AMC's "The Walking Dead." Nielsen estimates than an average audience of about 8 million watched the initial telecast of "Game of Thrones" on Sunday - up 1.16 million viewers (or 17%) from its year-ago debut of 6.84 million. It's also about 800,000 more than any other episode of the show to date."
Variety also reported that "Game of Thrones" season 5 premiere garnered a 4.19 rating (or about 5.3 million viewers) from the 18-49 demo. This number is 14 percent higher than last year's premiere.
"Game of Thrones" season 5 premiere episode picked up shortly from where it left off in season four finale wherein Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) killed his father, Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) having to put her dragons in a cage, and Jon Snow (Kit Harrington) starting to work under the tutelage of self-proclaimed king Stannis Baratheon.
