Game of Thrones General (Non-Book Related) Discussion Thread - Part 1

[Iceman]

I'm curious though. How much is HBO making off of Game of Thrones?

I have no idea how revenue works for TV shows. Hopefully they are doing very well out of it.

 

[flickchick85]

I have no idea how revenue works for TV shows. Hopefully they are doing very well out of it.

It works differently depending on the type of TV show (network vs. premium cable). For HBO, they get their money from subscribers and home video sales (which includes digital sales). Along with some merchandising. I think it's safe to say they've gotten a huge boost in subscribers since this show started, and they have the ratings to prove that's the #1 thing people are subscribing to see.

 

[Iceman]

It works differently depending on the type of TV show (network vs. premium cable). For HBO, they get their money from subscribers and home video sales (which includes digital sales). Along with some merchandising. I think it's safe to say they've gotten a huge boost in subscribers since this show started, and they have the ratings to prove that's the #1 thing people are subscribing to see.

Thanks for that. What are the other top HBO shows? (in order if you know)

 

[flickchick85]

Thanks for that. What are the other top HBO shows? (in order if you know)

GoT is waaaaaay ahead of everything else by a country mile, but their 2nd highest-rated right now is Ballers, followed by True Detective and Westworld. Here are their average ratings: http://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/hbo-tv-show-ratings-33447/

 

[Iceman]

GoT is waaaaaay ahead of everything else by a country mile, but their 2nd highest-rated right now is Ballers, followed by True Detective and Westworld. Here are their average ratings: http://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/hbo-tv-show-ratings-33447/

Oh wow, that really is crazy. No wonder they are talking spinoffs when the margin is so large. I haven't seen any of the other shows they have. How big are HBO relative to their rivals?

 

[flickchick85]

Oh wow, that really is crazy. No wonder they are talking spinoffs when the margin is so large. I haven't seen any of the other shows they have. How big are HBO relative to their rivals?

Oh they're smoking the competition. The other big premium cable networks are Cinemax, Starz and Showtime, and none of them have any shows that get even a 3rd of the ratings of GoT. Now, they COULD compete with most of HBO's other shows, as I think they all average about 1-2 million viewers with their biggest shows, so the post-GoT landscape in this arena will be interesting. But right now, HBO is easily top dog. Also in terms of awards recognition.

The streaming services like Netflix and Amazon don't regularly release ratings data like this (as it would have to be measured differently, not airing on TV and all that) so it's hard to tell what kind of competition they are.

 

[Iceman]

Oh they're smoking the competition. The other big premium cable networks are Cinemax, Starz and Showtime, and none of them have any shows that get even a 3rd of the ratings of GoT. Now, they COULD compete with most of HBO's other shows, as I think they all average about 1-2 million viewers with their biggest shows, so the post-GoT landscape in this arena will be interesting. But right now, HBO is easily top dog.

The streaming services like Netflix and Amazon don't regularly release ratings data like this, so it's hard to tell what kind of competition they are.

Oh right thanks again. With every post I'm realising how little I know about how US TV works lol. At least it's good to see that among premium cable networks, GoT is huge!

 

[flickchick85]

No problem. The US TV landscape is a very confusing place, lol.

 

[KevTravels]

Yeah HBO has always been bigger. 15 years ago they had The Sopranos which got the ratings and critical appeal. They also had True Blood/Boardwalk Empire which got some decent ratings. But Game of Thrones just might be their biggest hit ever.

Starz has had those Spartacus shows and Black Sail. Showtime had a few critical hits and also Shameless. But of course none of those can compare to the top HBO shows.

What's really interesting is the growth of FX in the past 15 years and AMC's growth in the past 10 years. Those 2 were basically just networks which aired films that were released a few years ago or 40 years ago.

 

[KevTravels]

I'm curious though. How much is HBO making off of Game of Thrones?

Millions off merchandise alone. DVDS, T-shirts, and tons more

and of course the advertising.

 

[Iceman]

UK TV seems very straightforward right now! (as long you have a Sky box)

 

[flickchick85]

Yeah HBO has always been bigger. 15 years ago they had The Sopranos which got the ratings and critical appeal. They also had True Blood/Boardwalk Empire which got some decent ratings. But Game of Thrones just might be their biggest hit ever.

Starz has had those Spartacus shows and Black Sail. Showtime had a few critical hits and also Shameless. But of course none of those can compare to the top HBO shows.

What's really interesting is the growth of FX in the past 15 years and AMC's growth in the past 10 years. Those 2 were basically just networks which aired films that were released a few years ago or 40 years ago.

Starz's biggest shows are actually Power and Outlander. Black Sails was never one of their more successful shows. American Gods has also done better. I think Starz may be on the rise since Chris Albrecht (former head of HBO) took over.

But yes, HBO still smokes 'em, and GoT is officially their biggest hit to date (I believe I recall it surpassing The Sopranos on that front like a year or two ago). FX and AMC have both raised the bar for basic cable shows over the last several years for sure.

 

[Iceman]

Was there much uncertainty about doing a GoT show at the time it was being talked about as a (very expensive) potential future property?

 

[flickchick85]

Was there much uncertainty about doing a GoT show at the time it was being talked about as a (very expensive) potential future property?

Yeah, it was in development for over 4 years and they ended up totally re-doing the pilot and cancelling Rome so they could have the budget for it. It was considered quite a risk at the time. And the initial ratings barely justified that risk, too.

 

[Iceman]

Yeah, it was in development for over 4 years and they ended up totally re-doing the pilot and cancelling Rome so they could have the budget for it. It was considered quite a risk at the time. And the initial ratings barely justified that risk, too.

Ah, very interesting. And when did it really take off? I think I joined at season 3. Maybe as it was ending, not quite sure.

 

[flickchick85]

Ah, very interesting. And when did it really take off? I think I joined at season 3. Maybe as it was ending, not quite sure.

It has just steadily gained viewers every single season. I'm not sure there was ever a "breakout" moment so much as a continuous snowball effect. That is...extremely rare. Usually a long-running show hits a peak at some point, plateaus and begins to decline (as The Walking Dead has recently done), but this show has never done that. Its numbers just keep going up, even now in the penultimate season. I think it's safe to say next season will be HBO's highest ratings to date.

 

[Iceman]

It has just steadily gained viewers every single season. I'm not sure there was ever a "breakout" moment so much as a continuous snowball effect. That is...extremely rare. Usually a long-running show hits a peak at some point, plateaus and begins to decline, but this show has never done that. It's numbers just keep going up, even now in the penultimate season. I think it's safe to say next season will be HBO's highest ratings to date.

What a beast! By the end of season 3 though was it already a bit of a sensation? It seemed to be that everyone was talking about it here. This is all looking good for future spinoffs and I really hope the first one they choose shows that we are getting something worthy of continuing to rewatch as loyally as before. I think the first one will be most important in determining whether people tune out of the whole GoT spinoff idea or not.

 

[flickchick85]

What a beast! By the end of season 3 though was it already a bit of a sensation? It seemed to be that everyone was talking about it here. This is all looking good for future spinoffs and I really hope the first one they choose shows that we are getting something worthy of continuing to rewatch as loyally as before. I think the first one will be most important in determining whether people tune out of the whole GoT spinoff idea or not.

Yeah it was already pretty buzzy by then. The Red Wedding was pretty huge on social media. But that season's ratings averaged about half of what it's getting now.

 

[Iceman]

Yeah it was already pretty buzzy by then. The Red Wedding was pretty huge on social media. But that season's ratings averaged about half of what it's getting now.

I guess this show is really building up to something epic and the quality isn't deteriorating. It's obviously a very rare situation to be in to be based on a series of books as huge in scope as ASOIAF while at the same time having the endings up in the air because the books aren't finished.

 

[flickchick85]

I guess this show is really building up to something epic and the quality isn't deteriorating. It's obviously a very rare situation to be in to be based on a series of books as huge in scope as ASOIAF while at the same time having the endings up in the air because the books aren't finished.

Yeah it's kind of a "perfect storm" situation for them, because I think the key to getting people on board with a genre show is creating the feeling that it's actually headed toward a proper endgame, and so in those early seasons of GoT, you had the book readers constantly singing the series praises about how it's going somewhere epic and the show constantly delivering and upping the ante just as those people were saying it would, so more people were getting on board with the series based on that confidence, and yet...the books are taking so long that the endgame is still a mystery.

That's not a situation they'll be able to replicate anytime soon, imo.

 

[Drizzle]

Being a viewer since day 1 back on April 17th, 2011, it astonishes me now just how huge the show has become.

 

[Iceman]

Yeah it's kind of a "perfect storm" situation for them, because I think the key to getting people on board with a genre show is creating the feeling that it's actually headed toward a proper endgame, and so in those early seasons of GoT, you had the book readers constantly singing the series praises about how it's going somewhere epic and the show constantly delivering and upping the ante just as those people were saying it would, so more people were getting on board with the series based on that confidence, and yet...the books are taking so long that the endgame is still a mystery.

That's not a situation they'll be able to replicate anytime soon, imo.

All these characters (how many other shows have this many major characters?) and anything could happen to nearly all of them still. Of course many are odds on to die but there's very few we can be sure of will be left standing when all is said and done. Plus the nature of those deaths and all the resolved relationships and settled scores etc to come. This is definitely a perfect storm.

 

[Iceman]

Being a viewer since day 1 back on April 17th, 2011, it astonishes me now just how huge the show has become.

After having the show recommended to me I knew by the end of the first episode after such a grand opening and a killer ending that I was totally hooked. Seems funny looking back that this didn't explode even quicker. I have got a lot of other friends and family members totally addicted too after forcing them to watch it even while I was still very early in the catch up process (early in season 2). Funny when they are all independently watching it now with no prompting from me and getting other people hooked themselves.

 

[flickchick85]

I've been viewing since the 1st ep too, as I had read the first book, and the same moment that hooked me in the book hooked me in the show. But after that first season is when I tore through the rest of the books, lol.

 

[Iceman]

I've been viewing since the 1st ep too, as I had read the first book, and the same moment that hooked me in the book hooked me in the show. But after that first season is when I tore through the rest of the books, lol.

And what moment was that? (you can't leave a post like that t