A new report reveals that South Park and Game of Thrones are the two most in-demand shows on HBO Max for the month of March. First airing in 1997 and having recently concluded its 25th season, South Park is one of the longest-running animated comedies still around today. The show, which satirizes current events through a group of foul-mouthed children in the small town of South Park, Colorado, scores consistently high with critics and currently boasts an 80% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Although not running for nearly as many episodes or as many years, Game of Thrones was, for a time, one of the most popular and talked-about shows in the world. Marking a stark contrast from the hysterical antics of South Park, Game of Thrones transported viewers to the fantastically brutal world of Westeros. Based on the book series of the same name from author George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones aired for eight seasons starting in 2011. While critically acclaimed for much of its run, Game of Thrones suffered from severe fan backlash during its eighth and final season, with many viewers criticizing the show for its handling of several beloved characters and storylines.
As per a new report from The Wrap, South Park and Game of Thrones are two of HBO Max's best-performing shows for the month of March. Viewership demand for South Park was 48.16 times the average series demand for the month, while Game of Thrones saw demand 47.2 times greater. Euphoria comes in at the number three spot with 44.01 times the average demand.
HBO Max bought the streaming rights to South Park in 2019 for $500 million, a decision that is clearly paying off. With South Park's 25th season now concluded, however, it's likely that these impressive demand numbers will start to fall slightly. The demand growth for Game of Thrones, on the other hand, which hasn't aired a new episode since 2019, is thought to largely be due to the announcement of the release date of House of the Dragon, a spinoff series that was first announced following the conclusion of Game of Thrones back in 2019.
When it comes to streaming, content is king. With HBO Max housing wildly popular series like South Park, Game of Thrones, Euphoria, and Peacemaker, the streamer is making clear to consumers that, even though it doesn't have a library as vast as those of Netflix or Amazon Prime, it has quality, in-demand titles. With South Park renewed through 2027 and House of the Dragon inching ever closer to its August release date, it's likely that both South Park and Game of Thrones will continue to be two of the streamer's most valuable and in-demand titles.
Source: The Wrap