Tag: Game of Thrones

Paramount Boss David Ellison Says His Favorite HBO Show is ‘Game of Thrones’

The recently concluded $111 billion Warner Bros. Discovery auction could be viewed by some as having elements of HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” without the bloodshed, sex or fire-breathing dragons.

Media reports have suggested that the combined Paramount-WBD is now the newly united “Kingdom” attempting to defend its territory against the tech “invaders,” such as Apple, Amazon and Netflix.

Thus, it was perhaps no surprise that when asked what his favorite HBO show is, Paramount CEO David Ellison, who outlasted Netflix to acquire all WBD assets, including Warner Bros. Studios, HBO, HBO Max and Turner, would mention the George R. R. Martin, D. B. Weiss and David Benioff-created fantasy series,” which concluded its HBO run nearly seven years ago.

Some pundits predict a harsh environment among senior management in the coming months and year across both companies as Paramount decides which executives will “survive” the consolidation of two massive studio operations.

“It’s hard not to say ‘Game of Thrones,'” Ellison said on the March 2 special investor call.

The CEO also agreed that “Sopranos,” a story about a New Jersey mob boss who begins seeing a psychiatrist, was also among his favorites.

“Yes, that’s good too,” Ellison said. “There’s a lot … it’s a long list.”

‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Season 1 Arriving on Disc June 16

Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment will release A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Complete First Season on DVD, Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD Disc June 16. The announcement comes the day after the season one finale aired on HBO.

An adaptation of George R. R. Martin’s “Tales of Dunk and Egg” novellas, beginning with 1998’s The Hedge Knight, the series returns viewers to the world of Westeros a century before the events of “Game of Thrones,” depicting the adventures of Ser Duncan the Tall and his young squire, Egg.

The series stars Peter Claffey as Ser Duncan “Dunk” the Tall, Dexter Sol Ansell as Egg, Daniel Ings as Ser Lyonel Baratheon, Bertie Carvel as Baelor Targaryen, Danny Webb as Ser Arlan of Pennytree, Sam Spruell as Maekar Targaryen, Shaun Thomas as Raymun Fossoway, Finn Bennett as Aerion Targaryen, Edward Ashley as Ser Steffon Fossoway, Tanzyn Crawford as Tanselle, Henry Ashton as Daeron Targaryen, Youssef Kerkour as Steely Pate, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor as Plummer, and Daniel Monks as Ser Manfred Dondarrion.

The season one disc release includes all six episodes, plus two exclusive featurettes: “Building ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’” and an extended version of “Welcome to ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.’” The discs also include “A Knight in the Making” web documentary videos for each episode.

Subscribe HERE to the FREE Media Play News Daily Newsletter!

HBO Bows Trailer for ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,’ Due Jan. 18

HBO has released the official trailer for the original half-hour drama series “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” a prequel of “Game of Thrones,” during a panel at CCXP Brazil.

The six-episode season debuts Jan. 18 on HBO and the streaming service HBO Max. New episodes will debut on subsequent Sundays.

From the world of Westeros comes the tale centered on the adventures of an unexpected duo. A century before the events of “Game of Thrones,” two unlikely heroes wander Westeros — a young, naïve but courageous knight, Ser Duncan the Tall, and his diminutive squire, Egg. Set in an age when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne, and the memory of the last dragon has not yet passed from living memory, great destinies, powerful foes, and dangerous exploits all await these improbable and incomparable friends.
 
The series stars Peter Claffey as Ser Duncan “Dunk” the Tall, Dexter Sol Ansell as Egg, Daniel Ings as Ser Lyonel Baratheon, Bertie Carvel as Baelor Targaryen, Danny Webb as Ser Arlan of Pennytree, Sam Spruell as Maekar Targaryen, Shaun Thomas as Raymun Fossoway, Finn Bennett as Aerion Targaryen, Edward Ashley as Ser Steffon Fossoway, Tanzyn Crawford as Tanselle, Henry Ashton as Daeron Targaryen, Youssef Kerkour as Steely Pate, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor as Plummer, and Daniel Monks as Ser Manfred Dondarrion.

Subscribe HERE to the FREE Media Play News Daily Newsletter!

HBO Announces Season Renewals for Two ‘Game of Thrones’ Franchise Series Through 2028

In a New York City press presentation, Casey Bloys, chairman and CEO of HBO and HBO Max Content, announced the renewal of two “Game of Thrones” franchise series, “House of the Dragon” and “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” extending each series’ run through 2028.

Both series will stream on HBO Max and air on HBO.

Season three of “House of the Dragon” will debut in the summer of 2026, with a fourth season slated to bow in 2028.

The second season of the half-hour HBO Original series “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” will also debut in 2028. The first season launches Jan. 18, 2026.

“Together, ‘House of the Dragon’ and ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ reveal just how expansive and richly imagined George R. R. Martin’s universe continues to be,” said Francesca Orsi, EVP of HBO programming and head of HBO drama series and films. “In January, I think audiences will be delighted by the inspiring underdog tale of Dunk and Egg that George and Ira Parker have captured so beautifully. And this summer, ‘House of the Dragon’ is set to ignite once again with some of its most epic battles yet.”

Based on Martin’s “Fire & Blood,” “House of the Dragon” is set 200 years before the events of “Game of Thrones.” The show tells the story of House Targaryen. Season three cast members include Matt Smith, Emma D’Arcy, Olivia Cooke, Steve Toussaint, Rhys Ifans, Fabien Frankel, Ewan Mitchell, Tom Glynn-Carney, Sonoya Mizuno, Harry Collett, Bethany Antonia, Phoebe Campbell, Phia Saban, Jefferson Hall, Matthew Needham, James Norton, Tom Bennett, Kieran Bew, Kurt Egyiawan, Freddie Fox, Clinton Liberty, Gayle Rankin and Abubakar Salim. 

The new series “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” is centered on the adventures of an unexpected duo in Westeros: a young and naive but courageous knight, Ser Duncan the Tall, and his diminutive squire Egg. Adapted from Martin’s novella “The Hedge Knight,” the series is set in an age when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne and images of the last dragon have not yet passed from living memory. The season one cast includes Peter Claffey as Ser Duncan “Dunk” the Tall, Dexter Sol Ansell as Egg, Daniel Ings, Bertie Carvel, Danny Webb, Sam Spruell, Shaun Thomas, Finn Bennett, Edward Ashley, Tanzyn Crawford, Henry Ashton, Youssef Kerkour, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor and Daniel Monks.

Subscribe HERE to the FREE Media Play News Daily Newsletter!

Production Starts on ‘Game of Thrones’ Spinoff ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’

Production has begun in Belfast, Ireland, on the HBO original drama series “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” a spinoff of “Game of Thrones” set in the fictional kingdom of Westeros a century earlier.

The series, an adaption of George R. R. Martin’s novella “The Hedge Knight,” consists of six episodes, which will begin streaming on Max and airing on HBO on an unspecified date.

HBO also announced new cast members Finn Bennett as Aerion Targaryen, Bertie Carvel as Baelor Targaryen, Tanzyn Crawford as Tanselle, Daniel Ings as Ser Lyonel Barotheon, and Sam Spruell as Maekar Targaryen. They join previously announced cast members Peter Claffey and Dexter Sol Ansell.
 
Sarah Adina Smith has joined to direct direct three of the six episodes. The other three, as previously announced, will be helmed by executive producer Owen Harris.

The series follows two unlikely heroes who wander into Westeros: a young, naïve but courageous knight, Ser Duncan the Tall, and his diminutive squire, Egg. The series is set in an age when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne, and the memory of the last dragon has not yet passed from living memory.

HBO Releases New Teaser for ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 2, to Stream on Max Next Summer

HBO is out with the official teaser for the second season of the HBO Original drama series House of the Dragon.

The eight-episode second season debuts summer 2024 on HBO and will be available to stream on Max.
 
Based on George R.R. Martin’s “Fire & Blood,” the series, set 200 years before the events of “Game of Thrones,” tells the story of House Targaryen.
 
The trailer was released during HBO’s CCXP23 panel in São Paulo, Brazil.

Returning cast members in season two include Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, Eve Best, Steve Toussaint, Fabien Frankel, Ewan Mitchell, Tom Glynn-Carney, Sonoya Mizuno, and Rhys Ifans. Also back are Harry Collett, Bethany Antonia, Phoebe Campbell, Phia Saban, Jefferson Hall and Matthew Needham.
 
New cast members include Clinton Liberty as Addam of Hull, Jamie Kenna as Ser Alfred Broome, Kieran Bew as Hugh, Tom Bennett as Ulf, Tom Taylor as Lord Cregan Stark, and Vincent Regan as Ser Rickard Thorne. Previously announced new Season 2 cast members include Abubakar Salim as Alyn of Hull, Gayle Rankin as Alys Rivers, Freddie Fox as Ser Gwayne Hightower, and Simon Russell Beale as Ser Simon Strong.
 

HBO ‘Game of Thrones’ Prequel Series ‘House of the Dragon’ Begins Production On Season Two

HBO Max April 11 announced that production has commenced on the second season of original drama series “House of the Dragon” at Leavesden Studios in the United Kingdom.

Based on George R.R. Martin’s “Fire & Blood,” the series, set 200 years before the events of HBO Max’s popular “Game of Thrones,” tells the story of House Targaryen.

The season one premiere attracted nearly 10 million viewers across HBO and HBO Max over the live+3-day period. The show attracted 29 million viewers weekly per episode, according to Nielsen.

“All your favorite characters will soon be conspiring at the council tables, marching with their armies, and riding their dragons into battle,” Ryan Condal, co-creator/showrunner/executive producer, said in a statement.

The first season production included the launch of the on-set shadowing and mentorship program for production trainees. The second season production will continue the program through WBD Access Directors Shadows, giving two emerging directors, B Welby and Ebele Tate, the chance to hone their skills and learn from one of the finest crews in the industry.

The show stars Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, Eve Best, Steve Toussaint, Fabien Frankel, Ewan Mitchell, Tom Glynn-Carney, Sonoya Mizuno, and Rhys Ifans. Additional returning cast includes Harry Collett, Bethany Antonia, Phoebe Campbell, Phia Saban, Jefferson Hall, and Matthew Needham.

Subscribe HERE to the FREE Media Play News Daily Newsletter!

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).

Subscribe HERE to the FREE Media Play News Daily Newsletter!

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.
 
 

From Around the Web