Aug. 23 (UPI) -- Nearly 10 million viewers in the United States tuned in for Sunday's premiere of the Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon on HBO platforms.
The cable network said this marks the largest audience for any new original series in HBO's history.
Based on George R.R. Martin's novel, Fire & Blood, the medieval fantasy-drama chronicles the history of the ambitious, aristocratic House Targaryen and takes place 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones.
It stars Matt Smith, Emma D'Arcy, Paddy Considine, Olivia Cooke, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Fabien Frankel, Sonoya Mizuno and Rhys Ifans.
Ryan Condal and Miguel Sapochnik are the showrunners.
"It was wonderful to see millions of Game of Thrones fans return with us to Westeros last night. House of the Dragon features an incredibly talented cast and crew who poured their heart and soul into the production, and we're ecstatic with viewers' positive response," Casey Bloys -- chief content officer at HBO and HBO Max -- said in a statement Monday.
"We look forward to sharing with audiences what else George, Ryan, and Miguel have in store for them this season."
Weekly episodes will roll out on Sunday nights through Oct. 23.
