Traditional TV viewership of “House of the Dragon” dropped for the first time over the Labor Day holiday weekend.

Episode 3, titled “Second of His Name,” was watched by 2.5 million people across its four cable airings on HBO on Sunday, per Nielsen — one million fewer viewers than Episode 2.

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It’s important to note that this total-viewer tally refers only to the number of people who caught the episode on the HBO linear channel as measured by Nielsen, because Warner Bros. Discovery declined to share internal streaming data from HBO Max for “House of the Dragon” Episode 3 — though the company did report that viewership after the first two episodes.

Nielsen’s linear data states that “House of the Dragon” viewership jumped from 3.2 million with Episode 1 to 3.5 million to Episode 2 — a 9.4% increase — before this week’s 28.6% decrease.

When combining Nielsen’s cable numbers with WBD’s HBO Max viewership, Episode 1 drew 9.99 million viewers in its first night while Episode 2 was watched by 10.2 million, a 2% increase.

The “House of the Dragon” series premiere viewership was the highest-ever for an HBO series, giving the much-anticipated “Game of Thrones” prequel its own badge of honor right out of the gate compared to its predecessor, which is still HBO’s biggest hit and its series finale is still the most-viewed episode the cabler has ever aired.

“House of the Dragon” has already been renewed for a second season.

VIP+ Analysis: ‘House of the Dragon’ Won’t Keep WBD From Dragging

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