Game of Thrones ratings at record high: 23 million viewers

Game of Thrones ratings have reached new heights in season 6.

U.S. viewership of the HBO fantasy hit have now surpassed 23 million viewers episode when all forms of viewing are counted (that's originals, repeats, DVR and streaming).

Even with the season not yet finished and data still incomplete, that tally is up 15 percent from season 5, which was the show's previous record holder.

Among adults 18-49 — a demo not tracked by HBO, yet interesting to look at nonetheless — the drama is often beating all other cable and broadcast shows (last week's episode delivered a 3.9 rating in the demo).

As first reported by USA Today, HBO's internal data breakdown goes like this: Sunday premiere ratings are up 6 percent (7.3 million). TV and on-demand viewership is up 4 percent. And viewing on HBO Now and HBO Go digital platforms shot up 70 percent over last season (2.5 million streams).

Thrones has grown its ratings every season and last year scored a record number of primetime Emmys. Yet we're still hearing the producers and network are looking to conclude the series, with just 13 more episodes planned after this season — seven next year, six in 2018. (Those plans, however, have not been confirmed by HBO.) Showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss have long said their goal is to end the series on a creative high note, but the show is looking increasingly likely to end on a ratings peak as well.

And of course, there's still one more episode left this season: Sunday's "The Winds of Winter." Last year's finale rated as the season's highest-rated episode, so perhaps GoT will once again break its first-air record. EW.com will have full coverage, with interviews and a recap. See photos and a preview video for episode 10.

Previous: "Battle of the Bastards" coverage: Ramsay Bolton actor Iwan Rheon on his exit; our deep-dive recap with our thoughts on the episode, director Miguel Sapochnik gives a detailed rundown of how he pulled it off. Sophie Turner on her final Ramsay confrontation. Below is our GoT podcast about our experiences on the "BOB" set:
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