'The Last of Us': HBO launches official podcast dedicated to the hit show

HBO’s series of the moment, “The Last of Us,” has captivated viewers, achieving HBO’s second-best premiere since “Boardwalk Empire” made its debut on the network in 2010. Now, the hit show also has a podcast.

Some 4.7 million US viewers watched the first episode of “The Last of Us” on HBO and HBO Max, according to figures from Nielsen and Warner Bros. Discovery. Released on January 15 in the United States, the TV adaptation of the video game of the same name, starring two former actors from another HBO hit, “Game of Thrones” — Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey. “The Last of Us” is the American network’s second-best debut in 13 years, behind “House of the Dragon,” which landed in 2022, attracting nearly 10 million viewers. The series “Boardwalk Empire,” which premiered in 2010, scored 4.81 million viewers.

“We are thrilled to see fans of the series and game alike experience this iconic story in a new way, and we extend our gratitude to them for helping to make it a success,” said Casey Bloys, Chairman and CEO, HBO & HBO Max Content, in a statement.

The Last of Us: More about the popular show

The first episode of the series based on the video game even managed to achieve almost double the ratings of the first episode of “Euphoria” Season 2. “Sunday night viewership for an HBO series typically represents 20%-40% of the show’s total gross audience per episode,” HBO said in its news release.

Following the first episode, the data.ai platform revealed a 69% increase in downloads of the HBO Max app in the US on iOS and Android. The app also reached fourth place in the chart of free apps on iPhone in the US. When “House of the Dragon” was released in August 2022, the streaming platform was ranked third at the time.

Faced with this success, HBO has launched an official podcast dedicated to the show, “The Last of Us.” It is presented by Troy Baker, who voices the character of Joel in the game, played by Pedro Pascal on screen. The podcast features interviews with director Craig Mazin and video game creator Neil Druckmann about the making of the series. HBO’s “The Last of Us Podcast” is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audacy, Google Podcasts, Breaker and via RSS feed.

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This story is published via AFP Relaxnews.