House of the Dragon Season 2 nearly dominated America’s streaming ratings – but one ‘diabolical’ Prime Video show got in the way.
When House of the Dragon Season 1 premiered, it didn’t just have its predecessor’s shoes to fill – it had to restore fans’ faith in Game of Thrones after Season 8’s zeitgeist-scrubbing ending.
It started strong, with its opening episode marking HBO Max’s biggest premiere ever. Strong House of the Dragon viewership continued, with its finale fetching 9.3 million viewers.
Season 2 may have seen a dip (likely due to the two-year gap), opening with 7.8m viewers and its controversial finale soaring to 8.9m.
Nielsen’s streaming top 10 list has since been updated, with House of the Dragon in second place with 1.1 billion minutes viewed between July 15-21.
That places it firmly above Netflix’s Cobra Kai (1.08bn), Bluey (1.035bn), and Suits (850 million), which crept back onto the platform’s chart with Season 9.
However, it couldn’t beat one TV show: The Boys Season 4, which amassed a whopping 1.33 billion minutes viewed in the same window.
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This is no small feat. It’s the first time The Boys has taken Nielsen’s top spot, and it managed to secure one billion minutes and a top 10 spot every week since it premiered on June 13.
It’s also the first time a Prime Video series has broken the one-billion-minute barrier eight times in a row, with the superhero TV show easily ranking as the streaming service’s biggest title.
There’s bad news for fans of both shows, though: their next seasons won’t arrive until 2026. The Boys is plugging that gap with Gen V Season 2, while HBO will release A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms next year.
Addressing the delay between HOTD’s seasons, showrunner Ryan Condal said: “The show is so complex that we’re really making multiple feature films every season, so I apologize for the wait.
“But I will just say, if Rook’s Rest and the Red Sowing are any indication, the team that we have together, we’re gonna pull off a hell of a win with the Battle of the Gullet in the future.”
In the meantime, find out what we know about House of the Dragon Season 3 and The Boys Season 5, and check out other TV shows streaming this month.
