When it comes to ratings records, "Game of Thrones" is king: The show's series finale scored some huge viewership numbers, putting it atop the most-watched lists for both "GOT" itself, and cable outlet HBO as a whole.

Viewers are still debating the merits of the episode, "The Iron Throne," but its success at pulling in eyeballs is indisputable. The finale notched 13.6 million viewers in its initial airing on HBO, and 19.3 million total viewers when counting replays and streaming views.

Both of those numbers are records for "Thrones" (and for HBO), besting the previous champ: itself. Last week's penultimate installment, "The Bells," earned 12.48 million and 18.4 million viewers, respectively.

The initial-airing viewership numbers are particularly impressive when viewed within the context of the history of HBO programming. "The Sopranos" was the previous title holder in that category, scoring 13.43 million viewers in 2002 for its fourth season premiere. "GOT" also whacked "The Sopranos" in the most-watched series finale race, besting that show's 11.9 million record set in 2007.

The watch may have ended for "Game of Thrones," but we have a feeling that these jaw-dropping numbers will live on for a long, long time.

[via: The Hollywood Reporter]