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Game of Thrones has broken its own ratings record with season six' action-packed finale



8.9 million tuned in to watch HBO's first airing of 'The Winds of Winter' on Sunday (June 26) - topping the season five finale's 8.1 million as the show's record holder.

Across the season, Game of Thrones averaged 23 million viewers per episode when traditional viewing, streaming, DVR and encore broadcasts were combined. This is a hefty 15% increase over last year.

It's no surprise that Game of Thrones continued to build on its already-massive audience in season six - with key moments like Jon Snow's resurrection, the Battle of the Bastards and the (non) trial of Cersei Lannister promoted as major television events.

This new ratings record must come as bittersweet news to HBO, as today (June 28) producers David Benioff and Dan Weiss confirmed there are only "two more seasons" left.

"It's not just trying not to outstay your welcome," Benioff explained. "We're trying to tell one cohesive story with a beginning, middle and end."

Game of Thrones will be off screens until 2017 on HBO in the US and Sky Atlantic in the UK.