• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, January 17, 2023

"The Last of Us," HBO's series based on the popular video game by Naughty Dog, pulled 4.7 million U.S. viewers across HBO's linear and HBO Max streaming platforms in its debut on March 15, according to Nielsen and first-party data cited by HBO.

Warner Bros. Discovery did not break out viewing numbers for the two platforms. 

The total makes "The Last of Us" the brand's second-largest series premiere, after "House of the Dragon," since “Boardwalk Empire” premiered on the network in 2010, before HBO programming was broadly available on a streaming app.

"House of the Dragon" pulled nearly 10 million viewers when it bowed on August 20, 2022.

Sunday night’s performance was nearly double the season two debut night for “Euphoria,” which went on to average 19.5 million viewers per episode in the U.S., according to WBD.

Sunday night viewership for an HBO series typically represents 20% to 40% of the show’s total gross audience per episode.
 
"The Last of Us" also trended #1 in the U.S. and worldwide on Twitter on Sunday night. T

To date, season one teasers and trailers have amassed more than 100 million views globally. Additionally, the first episode of the series’ companion podcast hit #1 on Apple’s TV & Film chart in the U.S. within 24 hours of its release.