"GAME OF THRONES" EPISODE "THE BELLS" SETS SERIES RECORDS; "VEEP" SERIES FINALE IS SEASON HIGH

GAME OF THRONES' penultimate episode, entitled "The Bells," which aired this past Sunday, was watched by a record 18.4 million viewers across HBO's platforms (linear, HBO GO and HBO NOW), exceeding the previous series high of 17.8 million viewers two weeks ago for the episode "The Long Night," focusing on the Battle of Winterfell. In addition to the series high for the night, the 9:00 p.m. airing reached a time-period high for GAME OF THRONES, with an average of 12.5 million viewers, surpassing the season seven finale of 12.1 million viewers. Season eight of GAME OF THRONES is averaging 43 million viewers per episode in gross audience, an increase of more than ten million viewers when compared to season seven.

The VEEP series finale, airing just before 11:00 p.m., reached a season-high 1.1 million viewers. The first replay and viewing on HBO's streaming services brought total viewing to 1.6 million viewers, also a season high.