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Game of Thrones Spin-Off on HBO Max Becomes a Streaming Success


Key Insights

  • Viewership Drop: House of the Dragon Season 3 saw a decline in viewers, with 21.5 million tuning in compared to 23.4 million for Season 2.
  • New Competition: The spin-off A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has emerged as a strong competitor, ranking high on HBO Max.
  • Mixed Reception: Critics have praised Season 3, but audience feedback has been divided, resulting in a 69% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
  • Creator’s Preference: George R.R. Martin has shown a clear favoritism towards A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.

On June 21, the HBO Max streaming charts were torn apart, as the arrival of House of the Dragon Season 3 finally stole the crown from Sydney Sweeney, Zendaya, Hunter Schafer, and Jacob Elordi‘s reign as part of Euphoria‘s final outing. As many had expected, new episodes of House of the Dragon brought with them controversy, as a near-perfect response from critics has been accompanied by mixed reviews from fans, resulting in a 69% audience score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.

This controversy, which once propelled Season 2 to enormous heights, has perhaps had the opposite effect for Season 3. It’s been reported that the Season 3 premiere, “Salt and Sea, Fire and Blood,” racked up 21.5 million viewers worldwide in its first three days across HBO and HBO Max, which is an 8% drop on Season 2’s premiere, which earned 23.4 million in the same time. It’s now apparent that these missing viewing figures have moved to another Game of Thrones spin-off, one that is referred to as the most faithful in the franchise universe.

At the time of writing, House of the Dragon has found its streaming competition in the form of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, with the latest Game of Thrones spin-off scoring a place among the HBO Max top 10 in the U.S. Globally, the Dunk and Egg stories that George R.R. Martin includes among his “all-time favorite tales” rank even higher, in fourth place behind only Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Happiness, the animated favorite Rick & Morty, and, of course, the current world #1 House of the Dragon.

The Maester Has Spoken
Your House Is…

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Your answers point to the great house whose words, values, and way of surviving in Westeros match your own. Bend the knee — or don’t. That’s very much up to you.


Winterfell · The North

House Stark

Winter is Coming — and you have always known it. You prepare not out of fear but out of duty because the people who depend on you deserve someone who takes the long view.

  • You lead with honour even when it costs you because you understand that a reputation built on integrity is the only one worth having.
  • Your loyalty to family and people runs deep — not as sentiment but as a code that doesn’t bend when things get difficult.
  • The North endures because Starks endure — not by being the cleverest players in the game but by being the kind of people others are willing to follow into the cold.
  • You are that kind of person. The pack survives. The lone wolf dies. You already know which one you are.


Casterly Rock · The Westerlands

House Lannister

You understand the game — its rules, its exceptions, and exactly when the rules become the exception. You play it without illusions and without apology.

  • You are sharper than most people realise, and you have learned to use that gap to your advantage.
  • A Lannister always pays their debts — and you always keep your word because your word is an instrument of power, and instruments must be kept in working order.
  • You love your family with a ferocity that sometimes blinds you, and you know it, and you do it anyway.
  • The lion doesn’t concern itself with the opinion of sheep. Neither, in the end, do you.


Dragonstone · The Iron Throne

House Targaryen

You carry a sense of destiny that is difficult to explain and impossible to ignore — the feeling that you are not simply participating in the world but meant to reshape it.

  • You are capable of extraordinary things, and you know it, and that knowledge is both your greatest strength and your most dangerous quality.
  • Fire and blood are not just words to you — they are a philosophy about what change requires and what it costs.
  • The Targaryens at their best were transformative rulers who broke chains and defied the limits of what anyone thought possible.
  • At your best, so are you. The dragon has three heads. You are one of them.
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Storm’s End · The Stormlands

House Baratheon

You are a force — direct, powerful, and difficult to ignore when you enter a room or a conflict. You do not negotiate with challenges. You meet them.

  • Ours is the fury — and yours is a kind of intensity that commands attention, respect, and occasionally fear from those who underestimate what’s behind it.
  • You value strength and straight dealing. You’d rather know where you stand in a fight than navigate a web of courtly whispers.
  • The Baratheons built their house on the back of one of the greatest military victories in Westerosi history — and then struggled with what came after.
  • The lesson of your house is that winning is not the end of the story. Governing is. You are learning that too.

Highgarden · The Reach

House Tyrell

You understand that power does not always announce itself — that sometimes it arrives with flowers, good wine, and a smile that doesn’t quite reach the eyes.

  • Growing strong is your house’s motto, and you live it: patiently, strategically, always investing in relationships and resources that will matter most when it counts.
  • You are charming by choice and calculating by nature — a combination that makes you one of the most effective players in any room you enter.
  • The Tyrells fed King’s Landing and shaped its politics without ever sitting on the Iron Throne — and they were arguably more powerful for it.
  • You know that whoever controls food controls kingdoms. And you always know where food is.

George R.R. Martin Hasn’t Hidden His Favoritism

There’s absolutely no doubt which of these spin-offs is Martin’s favorite. The creator previously admitted that a once-close creative partnership had deteriorated between him and House of the Dragon showrunner Ryan Condal, comments which received widespread attention. This “abysmal” relationship even sparked a response from none other than HBO’s chief content officer, Casey Bloys . Coming to Condal’s defense,Bloys said he “has been an excellent showrunner”and “a really great partner”and collaborator so“we embrace his vision”, or we wouldn’t have done it.” The rest of Season 3 will likely impact which side of this debate some fans sit.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is streaming now on HBO Max. Make sure to stay tuned to Collider for more updates.


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Sarah Parker
Sarah Parker is a research analyst and content contributor with a strong interest in business strategy, organizational behavior, and social development. With a background in sociology and public policy, she focuses on exploring the intersection between research and real-world application. Sarah regularly contributes articles that bridge academic insights and practical relevance, aiming to foster critical thinking and innovation across sectors.