Tag: Game of Thrones

Netflix Still on Top in Terms of Original Content, with 37% of All Movies and Shows

Netflix remains the leader among streaming services in producing original content, according to a proprietary study from BB Media commissioned by Media Play News.

The study identified a total of 8,877 original titles in the United States across 41 streaming platforms, of which 4,950 are films and 3,927 are series. The majority of these original movies and shows are distributed through the SVOD model (8,028), followed by AVOD (812) and FAST (465).

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Among streaming services with the biggest offer of original productions, Netflix leads with 3,260 titles, or nearly 37% of the total original-content output. It is followed by HBO Max (1,747 titles); Yupp TV (633 titles), an OTT content provider for South Asian programming, including live television and films, with recording and storage features; IQIYI (458 titles), the big Chinese online video platform based in Beijing and Shanghai; and Amazon’s Prime Video (391 titles).

When analyzing streaming platforms with the most hours of original content, the ranking remains almost the same, except for Prime Video displacing IQIYI in fourth place, and Shudder at No. 5.

Comparing the number of original titles launched in 2020 and 2021, Netflix also leads.

This year, between January and October 2022, Netflix launched 995 original titles, HBO Max released 105, and Prime Video issued 96 titles.

The BB Media/Media Play News study found that HBO’s “House of the Dragon” and “Game of Thrones” are tied at No. 1 in terms of viewer preference. Prime Video’s “The Rings of Power” landed in second place and Disney+ came in third with “She-Hulk.” Netflix’s “Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” was No. 4.

BB Media is a data science company focused on media and entertainment. The company monitors more than 3,800 streaming services across 240 countries and regions, their prices, plans, bundles and commercial offers. BB Media has offices in Miami, Bogota, Buenos Aires, Mexico City and São Paulo.

‘House of the Dragon’ Sees Biggest HBO Finale Viewership Since ‘Game of Thrones’ Finale

The HBO/HBO Max original series “House of the Dragon” concluded its first season with 9.3 million viewers Sunday night (Oct. 23) across all platforms, based on a combination of Nielsen and first party data, according to HBO and HBO Max.

That marks the biggest finale night for an HBO series since the conclusion of “Game of Thrones” in May 2019 — a significant achievement considering the competition from “Sunday Night Football” and the final game of the Major League Baseball ALCS between the New York Yankees and Houston Astros.

“Dragon” debuted on Aug. 21 to the largest audience for any new original series in the history of HBO and the best series launch on HBO Max across the United States, Latin America and Europe. All episodes of the series are now averaging 29 million viewers in the United States, more than tripling their average debut night audience with strong catch-up viewing.

For comparison, this is tracking closely behind the average audience for season seven of “Thrones,” which averaged 32.8 million viewers per episode.

“Dragon” is also ranking as the most social series across all TV and streaming since its premiere, based on Talkwater’s total interactions rankings. The series trended No. 1 on Twitter for 10 consecutive hours Sunday night, and global social conversation volume was up more than 30% compared with the series premiere in August.

“Thrones” has also seen elevated viewership as new episodes of “Dragon” debuted. The series saw month over month gains in viewership this summer leading up to the premiere of “Dragon,” culminating in its all-time highest weekly audience on HBO Max following the “Dragon” premiere.

Outside of the United States, “Dragon” surpassed “Game of Thrones” season eight, making it the most-viewed HBO title ever in Europe, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan on an HBO streaming service. (The series streams on Max in 21 countries across Europe and on HBO Go in SEA, HK and TW). The season finale drew the highest audience on Max for an HBO title across Latin America, where the series streams in 39 territories.

Consumers can also listen to “The Official Game of Thrones Podcast: House of the Dragon,” the audio destination providing in-depth analysis and exclusive interviews unpacking each episode with hosts Jason Concepcion (X-Ray Vision) and Greta Johnsen (Nerdette).

“House of the Dragon: Dracarys,” the augmented reality app that launched over the summer, is now available in 99 countries. Throughout the series run, the app responded in real time to plot points in the series. A few dragons from the series made special appearances, the final dragon will make an appearance this week. Although the season has ended, the experience has not. Users can continue their journey to train and grow their dragons as they await season two.

Samba TV Data: HBO’s ‘House of the Dragon’ Year’s Most-Watched Premium Cable or Streaming Premiere

HBO’s “Game of Thrones” prequel series “House of the Dragon” had 2.6 million U.S. households tuning into the Aug. 21 premiere episode of its initial six hours of viewership on both traditional linear-TV viewing and streaming on HBO Max, according to data from Samba TV.

The series generated the highest viewership for any premium cable or streaming premiere in 2022, according to Samba TV. Indeed, the show exceeded the initial same-day viewership of Netflix’s tentpole series “Stranger Things” (1.2 million U.S. household viewers streaming in its first day), more than doubling same-day viewership for its season four premiere earlier this summer.

Higher-income households over-indexed to the episode, with the $125,000 to $150,000 group over-indexing by the highest margin (+23%), followed by the $200,000+ group (+21%).

Gen-Z (A20-24) and millennials (A25-34) both over-indexed in viewership by 4% and 1%, respectively.

“Die hard [‘Thrones’] fans eagerly anticipated more from the franchise, and they turned out in force,” Ashwin Navin, co-founder and CEO of Samba TV said in a statement.
 
Navin said the next challenge and opportunity for HBO in the coming weeks is to expand viewership beyond the passionate fan base, similar to what the second half of “Stranger Things” season four accomplished surpassing the audience of the first half.
 
“HBO must look to innovative marketing that drives incremental audience growth to break through today’s saturated content marketplace,” Navin said.
 
 

HBO Max Bows All Eight Seasons of ‘Game of Thrones in 4K UHD, HDR 10, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos

HBO Max Aug. 1 announced it released all eight seasons of “Game of Thrones” in 4K Ultra HD, HDR 10, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos globally, on select streaming devices. Viewers in the U.S. must be subscribed to the ad-free plan to access the seasons.

Whether subscribers are watching the series for the first time or in anticipation of the premiere of new Thrones-themed series, “House of the Dragon,” the new formats make the episodes look sharper and showcase deeper, richer colors, while boasting atmospheric audio.

Select devices for these additional formats include Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K and Fire TV Cube, Android TVs, Apple TV 4K, Google Chromecast Ultra and Chromecast with Google TV, Cox Contour 2 and Contour Stream Player, 4K LG Smart TVs, Roku Ultra 4800x, Roku 4k TVs, Roku Premiere, Roku Streaming Stick+, 4K Samsung TVs, Vizeo 4K Smart TVs, Xbox One S, Xbox One X, and Xbox Series X|S, Xfinity X1 (Xi6) and Flex, and XClass TV.

Based on the best-selling novel series by George R.R. Martin, “Game of Thrones” holds the record as the most awarded drama series in television history, earning a total of 161 Emmy nominations and 59 wins. The series drama also stands as HBO’s most-viewed program ever, with the final season averaging a record-setting 46 million viewers in the U.S.

“House of the Dragon” is based on George R.R. Martin’s “Fire & Blood,” which is set 200 years before the events of “Game of Thrones” and tells the story of House Targaryen.

“Game of Thrones” enthusiasts looking for more content can explore the “World of Westeros” collection — the HBO Max destination for “Game of Thrones” fans — and delve into the most-watched episodes, best battles, and relive the series’ biggest spoiler episodes all over again.

And beginning on Aug. 3, fans can listen to “The Official Game of Thrones Podcast: House of the Dragon,” a new podcast series, hosted by Jason Concepcion (“X-Ray Vision”) and Greta Johnsen (“Nerdette”) featuring interviews with creator George R. R. Martin, cast, and celebrity superfans to dive deep into all aspects of the “Game of Thrones” fandom.

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HBO Max Launching ‘Game of Thrones’ Podcast on Aug. 3

HBO Max is launching “The Official Game of Thrones Podcast: House of the Dragon” on Aug. 3 as the go-to audio destination to discuss everything “Game of Thrones” for casual and die-hard fans alike.

The new podcast series, hosted by Jason Concepcion (“X-Ray Vision”) and Greta Johnsen (“Nerdette”), will feature interviews with cast, crew, and celebrity fans to dive deep into the ins and outs of “Game of Thrones.” Featured guests include George R. R. Martin, “Game of Thrones” author and series producer and “House of the Dragon” co-creator/executive producer; in addition to “House of the Dragon” stars Paddy Considine, Matt Smith and Steve Toussaint, among others.

Leading up to the premiere of the HBO Original series “House of the Dragon” on Aug. 21, both long-time and new “Game of Thrones” viewers can tune into the podcast to brush up on the key history, houses, characters, and locations. Once the “House of the Dragon” is released, the podcast will provide in-depth analysis and exclusive interviews theorizing and unpacking each episode. Following the season, the podcast will continue to release new episodes, exploring all aspects of the “Game of Thrones” fandom including the upcoming “Game of Thrones Official Fan Convention.”

“Our goal is to create a space where all fans — whether they’ve been watching for 10 years or 10 weeks — can truly immerse themselves in all things ‘Game of Thrones’ and maybe even learn something new from the folks who brought it to life,” Concepcion said in a statement.

“The Official Game of Thrones Podcast: House of the Dragon,” produced by HBO Max and iHeartMedia, is the latest in Max’s growing slate of podcasts, including the “HBO’s Succession Podcast,” “Batman: The Audio Adventures” and “We Stay Looking,” among others.

“By investing in podcasts, we’re able to extend the conversation beyond the show and engage fans on a deeper level, enhancing the overall storytelling experience,” said Michael Gluckstadt, director of podcast content for HBO Max.

HBO Max Launching ‘Game of Thrones’ 10th Anniversary Streaming Event

To mark the 10th anniversary of the premiere of “Game of Thrones,” HBO has launched “The Iron Anniversary,” a month-long event to commemorate the series and build excitement for the next iteration of the franchise, “House of the Dragon,” slated to begin production this year.

A custom spotlight page on HBO Max with personalized curations, a binge-watching marathon, special-edition products, and more, will launch throughout the month.

The HBO series “Game of Thrones” was one of the largest events in television history, with 45 million viewers in the United States, distribution in 207 territories around the world, and a successful run at retail on packaged and digital media.

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HBO Max includes a “Game of Thrones” Spotlight Page, an in app experience offering everything from a broad introduction to the world and characters for newbies, to  spoiler-laden curations featuring “easter eggs” for hardcore fans. The page includes more than 150 videos of behind-the-scenes extras, cast interviews, clips and trailers — many of which have never been available on the streaming platform before.

Beginning April 10, HBO will launch the “Game of Thrones” MaraThrone with all episodes of season one airing, starting at 10 a.m. ET, and will challenge fans to continue to binge watch all 73 episodes of the series on Max while raising money for select global charities.

For two weeks, “Game of Thrones” cast members will rally streamers to contribute to one of 10 charities: Women for Women International, World Central Kitchen, Conservation International, International Rescue Committee (IRC), UNICEF, FilmAid International, SameYou, Royal Mencap Society, National Urban League and The Trevor Project.

A selection of superfans and influencers will receive a custom MaraThrone kit with fun essentials to aid in their marathon viewing experiences, while six unique marathon “routes” will offer a little direction to fans who want to experience the series in a whole new way. Viewers may choose from episode collections focused on the entire series, follow the Mother of Dragons through her most fiery moments, journey with Arya to Braavos and beyond, binge the best battles, watch the Army of the Dead come to life, or relive the series’ biggest spoiler episodes.

Later in the month, HBO will surprise three couples who were married in Westeros-themed ceremonies with special anniversary gifts of their own: “Thrones”-branded barrels of wine, custom chalices, and elaborate cakes designed in partnership with local bakeries to represent the “Game of Thrones” houses of Targaryen, Stark and Lannister.

Warner Bros. Consumer Products and its licensing partners have teamed up to create a variety of special-edition products kicking off the Iron Anniversary that include:

  • a one-of-a-kind Imperial egg by Fabergé, inspired by Daenerys Targaryen, and co-designed by series Emmy Award-winning costume designer Michele Clapton that includes a miniature crown designed by Clapton, which represents the crown Daenerys would have worn had she taken the Iron Throne;
  • a range of beers inspired by the series from Mikkeller, the Danish craft beer company, including the first beer in the assortment called “Iron Anniversary IPA”;
  • a new iron-textured limited-edition assortment of  “Game of Thrones” Pop! vinyl collectibles and new action figures based on Arya Stark, Khal Drogo, and many more from Funko and available for pre-order now at retailers everywhere;
  • the Game of Thrones: Complete Collection available to own on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc, Blu-ray, DVD and through select digital retailers, as well as available to stream on HBO Max.

Report: Top Streamed Content in February: ‘To All The Boys: Always and Forever,’ ‘Criminal Minds,’ ‘Game of Thrones,’ ‘WandaVision, ‘Attack on Titan’

February was a busy month for consumers of subscription-based VOD. New data from Scener, a platform that enables online watch parties and social networking, found that the most popular programs across Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and HBO Max included teen comedy movie To All The Boys: Always And Forever, animated series “Attack on Titan,” catalog series “Criminal Minds,” “WandaVision” and “Game of Thrones,” respectively.

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Scener’s top most-watched titles on Netflix in February were:

  1. To All The Boys: Always And Forever
  2. “Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel”
  3. “Bridgerton”
  4. “Space Sweepers”
  5. “Grey’s Anatomy”

 

Scener’s most-watched content on Hulu:

  1. “Attack on Titan”
  2. “The Bachelor”
  3. “How I Met Your Mother”
  4. “Survivor”
  5. “Love Island” (UK)
Hulu’s “Attack on Titan”

HBO Max’s top titles on Scener were:

  1. “Game of Thrones”
  2. The Little Things
  3. My Neighbor Totoro
  4. “South Park”
  5. Princess Mononoke
“Game of Thrones”

The top titles watched by Scener users on Amazon Prime Video:

  1. “Criminal Minds”
  2. Crazy Rich Asians
  3. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
  4. The Act
  5. The Maze Runner
“Criminal Minds”

 

Scener’s top titles on Disney+:

  1. WandaVision
  2. Captain America: The First Avenger
  3. The Avengers
  4. Iron Man
  5. Avengers: Endgame
“WandaVision”

4K Ultra HD Release Sends ‘Game of Thrones’ Season Set Soaring Up ‘Watched at Home’ Chart

After We Collided, a romantic drama from Open Road Films, remained No. 1 on the weekly “Watched at Home” chart for the third consecutive week.

But the film received a strong challenge during the week ended Nov. 7 from two new releases.

The availability of the complete “Game of Thrones” series on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray from Warner Bros. sent the hefty five-pound boxed set, previously issued on DVD and regular Blu-ray Disc,  soaring back up the chart to No. 2.

Debuting at No. 3 was Lionsgate’s Antebellum, a time-shifting horror drama with Janelle Monáe as a successful modern-day writer trapped during America’s slavery era. The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc, as well as through digital retailers, on Nov. 3.

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The political documentary Trump Card (No. 4, down from the No. 3 the previous week) and season one of the TV series “Yellowstone” (No. 5, up from No. 12) rounded out the top five on the weekly “Watched at Home” chart, which tracks transactional video activity (both digital and on DVD and Blu-ray Disc) compiled from studio and retailer data through DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group.

Trump Card, from conservative filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza, examines the policy positions held by Democrats in public office. It became available through digital retailers back in early October, but picked up more viewers as the Nov. 3 presidential election approached.

“Yellowstone” is a contemporary Western drama starring Kevin Costner that is centered on the conflicts between a cattle ranch, an Indian reservation and land developers, all of whom share common borders.

Other new releases debuting on the “Watched at Home” chart include the original Borat (No. 14), drafting off the sequel’s digital bow on Amazon; the holiday favorite Home Alone (No. 11); and V for Vendetta (No. 12). Demand for the latter was spurred by its Nov. 3 release on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray by Warner Bros.

  1. After We Collided (Open Road)
  2. Game of Thrones: The Complete Collection (Warner)
  3. Antebellum (Lionsgate)
  4. Trump Card (D’Souza Media)
  5. Yellowstone: Season 1 (Paramount)
  6. Harry Potter Complete 8-Film Collection (Warner)
  7. Yellowstone: Season 3 (Paramount)
  8. Yellowstone: Season 2 (Paramount)
  9. My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising (Funimation)
  10. Ava (Vertical)
  11. Home Alone (20th Century)
  12. V for Vendetta (Warner)
  13. The Wolf of Snow Hollow (MGM)
  14. Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (20th Century)
  15. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Warner)
  16. Trolls World Tour (Universal)
  17. Alone (Magnolia)
  18. Beetlejuice (Warner)
  19. The Phenomenon (1091)
  20. Spell (Paramount)

 

Source: DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group
Includes U.S. digital sales, digital rentals, and DVD, Blu-ray Disc and 4K Ultra HD sales for the week ended Nov. 7.

 

Merchandising: Amazon, Best Buy Offer ‘V for Vendetta’ Exclusives

The Nov. 3 release of Warner’s V for Vendetta 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc inspired a couple of retailer exclusives for the week.

While Best Buy offered its usual Steelbook edition, at $29.99, another exclusive came from Amazon, which packed the 2006 political thriller with collectible jail-cell packaging, a 32-page behind-the-scenes booklet and a letter from the director. Amazon’s version was listed at $49.99.

Best Buy’s ‘V for Vendetta’ 4K Steelbook

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Meanwhile, as the number of notable new releases seems to shrink each week, Best Buy’s list of Steelbook exclusives only seems to grow.

In addition to V for Vendetta, Best Buy also had a deluxe Steelbook set of Warner’s new Game of Thrones: The Complete Collection 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray set, at $239.99.

Best Buy’s ‘Game of Thrones’ 4K Steelbook collection

Other Steelbook editions of 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray catalog titles for the week included Lionsgate’s Kick-Ass ($19.99), and Paramount’s $27.99 editions of Forrest Gump, Grease and Bumblebee.

Best Buy’s ‘Forrest Gump’ 4K Steelbook

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Also interesting at Best Buy: Many of the chain’s locations have been clearing out their DVD and Blu-ray inventory from the sales floor. A store in Costa Mesa, Calif., had just one long shelf stocked with product, plus a few standalone displays throughout the store, while the empty shelves that once contained movie and TV discs had been rearranged in the middle of the store and roped off.

Empty DVD and Blu-ray shelves at Best Buy in Costa Mesa, Calif., Nov. 3

‘Antebellum’ Arrives on Disc; Complete ‘Game of Thrones’ Series Now Out on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

Lionsgate’s  Antebellum, Paramount’s SpongeBob SquarePants: The SpongeBob Musical — Live on Stage! and the third season of “The Crown,” the Netflix historical series about the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, top the slate of new releases available for home viewers beginning Nov. 3.

Also newly available for purchase are 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray editions of V for Vendetta and the complete HBO series “Game of Thrones,” both from Warner Bros., and Lionsgate’s Kick-Ass.

The time-shifting horror drama Antebellum is now available on Blu-ray Disc and DVD. It was initially released by Lionsgate on premium VOD at $20 on Sept. 18. The film stars Janelle Monáe as a successful modern-day writer trapped during America’s slavery era.

Read an EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW with Janelle Monáe here!

SpongeBob SquarePants: The SpongeBob Musical — Live on Stage!, from Nickelodeon, is making its DVD debut on Nov. 3 at $9.99. The disc edition includes an exclusive, extended sing-along version.

The Crown: The Complete Third Season is now out as a four-disc Blu-ray and DVD set from Sony Pictures.  The series is produced by Left Bank Pictures and Sony Pictures Television for Netflix. Season 3 takes place between 1964 and 1977 and introduces Camilla Parker Bowles, who would later marry Prince Charles, heir to the British throne.

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V for Vendetta and Kick-Ass are the latest high-profile films to be released on the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray format, which is getting a renewed push by the big Hollywood movie studios as they continue to grapple with a lack of fresh theatrical product.

Also newly available on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray on Nov. 3 is Game of Thrones: The Complete Collection. The set, listed at $254.99, includes all 73 episodes, plus more than 15 hours of bonus content, and a digital copy of the episodes.

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Extras include material previously released in the “Game of Thrones” complete season sets and the 2019 complete series on standard Blu-ray, including a two-part reunion special hosted by Conan O’Brien; the documentary Game of Thrones: The Last Watch chronicling the making of the final season; Conquest & Rebellion: An Animated History of Seven Kingdoms; and audio commentaries, deleted and extended scenes, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and more.

A 4K “Game of Thrones” complete-series set also is available in an exclusive limited-edition version at Best Buy at $285.43, with all eight seasons featured in individual Steelbooks and housed in individually numbered metal cases.

A complete list of new disc and digital releases, compiled each week by the Media Play News market research team, can be found here.