Statistics that prove how successful 'Game of Thrones' really was

In case you were wondering what all the fuss was about with 'Game Of Thrones', here are some interesting statistics that tell you just how popular HBO’s incredible series was.

The series was broadcast in 207 different countries (territories) and amazingly simulcasted in 194 countries and territories

Surpassing the previous record held by 'The Sopranos', G.O.T. is the most watched HBO series of all time averaging 16.1 million viewers in its fourth season.

‘The Bells’ episode (season 8) broke the record of viewers across all platforms of HBO with a staggering 18.4 million viewers, only to be beaten by the next episode with a whopping 19.3 million viewers.

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'Game of Thrones' also holds the record as the most pirated show, easily beating 2nd and third placed shows 'The Walking Dead' (2010) and 'The Big Bang Theory' (2007).

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In the USA alone it was estimated that it had over 15 million illegal downloads. In fact, in its initial week of being aired, anti-piracy companies estimated that each episode was downloaded more than 90 million times.

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Not only did it receive an incredible 32 Emmy nominations for a single addition, but it is also the most nominated series in TV history with 161. Winning an astounding total of 59 awards.

In 2016, 'Game of Thrones' knocked 'Frasier' off the top of the list of Emmy awards. The popular comedy had previously held the record for Emmy wins with 37.

Strikingly, it was season 8 that won the most awards with an incredible 12 awards in 2019.

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GoT won the award for 'Best Drama Series' on 4 occasions (seasons 5, 6, 7, and 8), putting it on par with 4 other series: 'Hill Street Blues,' 'L.A. Law,' 'Mad Men,' and 'The West Wing.' These series are the ones with the most wins in that category.

It wasn't cheap to make. On average, each episode, up to the 6th season, cost about 6 million dollars. The most expensive episode was ‘Blackwater' (season two), which cost 8 million dollars.

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HBO then decided to set a budget of $100 million for Season 6, meaning each episode had an average cost of $10 million.

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To give you an idea of the scale of production, the 5th season was shot in 5 different countries and had 151 different filming sets.

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Season 5 saw a 240-day shoot, with 166 cast members working on it. Incredibly, this season also had more than 1,000 crew members and more than 5,000 extras.

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'Game of Thrones' was the most expensive series of all time. It sits in joint first with 'Friends'. However, it must be said that most of the expenses of 'Friends' were due to the actors' salaries, not to the production, as is the case with GoT.

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'The Battle of the B****rds' is, for many, one of the greatest pieces of TV ever. It took 25 days to shoot, using 500 extras and 60 horses. Yet, with the help of CGI and an exceptional production team, it actually looked like more than 7,000 men and several hundred horses.

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The final battle at Winterfell was shot over an astounding 55 consecutive nights. This is a truly tremendous feat, doubling the shooting time of 'The Battle Of The B****rds.'

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Over the course of its 8 seasons, the series has been filmed in 10 different countries, including both Northern Ireland and The Republic of Ireland, Morocco, Malta, Spain, Croatia, Iceland, the United States, Canada, and Scotland. There have been 50 locations in Ireland, including 49 in Northern Ireland and one in the Republic of Ireland.

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Also over the 8 seasons, 19,722 travel documents have been issued, 68,143 hotel rooms booked, 1,749 call sheets issued and 243 shooting schedules issued.

Season 8 needed 42 weeks of post-production.

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The 'Games of Thrones' season 8 trailer was viewed an astonishing 81 million times in the first 24 hours.

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Research by Statista showed that there was a significant number of adults that planned to skip, show up late to work, or work remotely the day after the 'Game of Thrones' finale in the United States in May 2019. Incredibly, 10.7 million adults planned to skip work on Monday, May 29, 2019, after having watched the finale of the popular TV show 'Game of Thrones.'

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American adults planned to either call in sick, use a personal day at the last minute on Monday, or use a holiday day. For those who typically work on Sundays, the intention was to either use a holiday, make other arrangements for work, or call in sick, Statista found.

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Another 2.9 million said that they were likely to show up late to work on Monday morning after having watched the finale the night before.

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With more than a ton and a half of metal for swords and armor, 52,000 bags of snow paper, 15,000 liters of artificial blood, and 40,000 kilometers of rope, there is no doubt this series is truly one of the greatest of all time.

Photo: HBO