Will HBO’s Ratings Suffer this Spring Because of Game of Thrones?
The ratings behemoth moves to warmer weather
HBO’s winter slate of Girls, Crashing, and Big Little Lies is still going strong, but it’s time to look to the future. Said future is a little more than a month away, just so we’re clear. Spring is also looking strong, with Veep, The Leftovers, and Silicon Valley all coming back around April. The missing piece there, of course, is Game of Thrones, which won’t be back until the summer. So what does that mean for HBO’s spring ratings, which are usually buoyed by Game of Thrones?
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It’s true that Veep is a beast and Silicon Valley isn’t far behind, but neither of them are a match for Game of Thrones in terms of viewership. Not only that, but The Leftovers as the new drama centerpiece of the season is practically dead weight in this department. The Leftovers has never brought in great ratings, and we don’t expect that to suddenly turn around in time for the final season.
While the loss of Game of Thrones is certainly going to be felt, the move to summer also means that HBO is going to get quite the bump in July. Summer TV isn’t usually great for anyone, though that has started to change in the recent years. Expect HBO to announce how fantastic their summer was this time around.
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Television is a ratings game no matter which network we’re tailing about, it is only less so for premium networks like HBO. But it’s still a playing factor. While we’re excited for season 3 of The Leftovers, that doesn’t mean people are going to turn up in droves. It’s expected that Veep will lead the pack this spring, with Silicon Valley behind it and The Leftovers dead last. In fact, it will be quite interesting to see what the exact breakdown looks like.