Game of Thrones series 7 premiere breaks records for Sky Atlantic

Game of Thrones series seven is off to a bumper start according to figures released by Sky, which revealed that the opening episode broke records for the broadcaster’s channel Sky Atlantic.

The premiere pulled in the biggest overnight audience for an episode of GoT on Sky Atlantic after a 2,830,000 people tuned in to watch.

The figure is 30 per cent up on the launch of the 2016 run which suggests that excitement surrounding the penultimate series is building as the show draws to a close.

More fans stayed up to watch the programme in simulcast with the US than ever before, with the live broadcast attracting an audience 115,000 – the highest rating a Sky simulcast has ever received.

In a statement, the broadcaster confirmed that it expects to see these figures rise still further as Sky and Now TV customers catch up with the show’s opening episode via on-demand services.

The news comes as research by personal finance website finder.com suggested that an estimate 3.7million Brits would be looking to illegally stream the series seven premiere online.

However, the study found that the majority of Thrones fans (78.7 per cent) planned to watch the show legally through Sky Atlantic, Now TV and SkyGo.

Game of Thrones series seven will air on Mondays at 2am and then again at 9pm on Sky Atlantic. You can also watch new episodes on Now TV.