The HBO drama ‘Game of Thrones’ returned from a 20-month break and set a new record for HBO as the most anticipated TV series premier opened with 17.4 million viewers across all platforms.

The season premiere of the show’s eighth and final season had 17.4 million viewers, including viewership through its digital channels, HBO said in a statement. The previous record for a single episode of the series was 16.9 million, for the seventh-season finale aired in August 2017.

HBO said on Monday that viewership for its standalone streaming platform, HBO Now, grew by 50% from the season seven finale, and by 97% from the season seven premiere. It's the biggest streaming night for HBO of all time. The premiere episode, which was titled as ‘Winterfell’, also got positive reviews from the GoT fans.

GoT has become a TV blockbuster at a time when there's immense competition from streaming services and social media. The show gets a boost from its multiple story lines and spoilers that made it ideal for prompt viewing.