Game of Thrones may have scored a huge ratings hit with its season four premiere on Sunday, but with the return of Mad Men for its last ever series this weekend, can it compete with Don Draper and co?
GoT has officially become one of the most successful shows in HBO's history after the season four premiere brought in the channel's highest ratings since the finale of The Sopranos back in 2007.
The mob drama ended with 11.9 million viewers while Game of Thrones returned to a whopping 6.6 million viewers in the States on Sunday night according to Nielsen. The episode was so popular on HBO Go, the channel's streaming service, that the site crashed due to an overwhelming demand.
Meanwhile over in the UK, Sky Atlantic (which rebranded its channel as the Home of Thrones to celebrate the launch) hosted a 2am showing of the episode, to conicide with audiences watching on the east coast of the US.
Game of Thrones returned with massive ratings last weekend (HBO/Sky)
When timeshifted viewing – by those who recorded the episode and watched later in the day – is included, the 2am broadcast drew an average audience of 538,000, impressive considering the early hour.
With GoT enjoying a 33% rise in ratings from its 2013 season three premiere, season four looks set to be the most successful yet but there is an enemy on the horizon.
Mad Men is back this Sunday (AMC)
Mad Men kicks off its seventh and final season this Sunday night, with the first episode of the first half of the last ever season airing on AMC. The show's season five premiere drew a series-best 3.5 million viewers and with the extra anticipation of it being the last batch of episodes, we can expect to see big numbers.
GoT has a secret weapon though as its second episode will feature the big wedding between Joffrey and Margaery. Will their tying the knot be enough to hold on to that ratings top spot?
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