HBO drama series is the best-performing series premiere to date on all platforms LONDON: HBO’s fantasy drama television series “House of the Dragon” set a new record by becoming the best-performing series premiere to date on all platforms in the Middle East and North Africa region, OSN revealed. Since it first aired on Aug. 21, “House of the Dragon” attracted an unprecedented number of viewers with the first episode beating out the finale of the franchise’s predecessor, “Game of Thrones,” by more than 25 percent. “‘House of the Dragon’ is by far the biggest launch in the history of OSN and has quickly found a loyal and dedicated fanbase that has fallen in love with this immersive fantasy drama,” said Joe Kawkabani, OSN group CEO. “We aim to continue breaking records and bring premium content to the screens of all our audiences across the region.” OSN+ and OSN Showcase, the streaming platforms of the Dubai-based entertainment content company OSN Group, reported having a never-seen-before growth in users and trialists since the premiere, with a skyrocketing engagement rate of 50 percent audience reach on the channel. Adding to the list of successes, the drama series also recorded the longest total duration watched for a single title as well as the highest subscriber rating of any series premiere to date for both OSN Showcase and OSN+. The “House of the Dragon” companion content, including “House of the Dragon: The House That Dragons Built,” also confirmed a strong fanbase for George R.R. Martin’s epic fantasy, with behind-the-scenes exclusive episodes witnessing unprecedented demand and maintaining a place on the platform’s top five most viewed shows since Aug. 24. The 10-episode series based on American novelist Martin’s book titled “Fire & Blood” is set 200 years before the events of “Game of Thrones” and tells the story of the House Targaryen, one of the families from the epic fantasy novel series “A Song of Ice and Fire.”