'House of the Dragon' breaks viewing record

House of the Dragon has broken HBO's premiere viewing record with its debut episode.

The fantasy drama, which is a prequel to Game of Thrones, was watched by over 9.9 million people in the US.

HBO's chief content officer Casey Bloys commented on the viewing figures, saying: "It was wonderful to see millions of Game of Thrones fans return with us to Westeros last night."

Read more: 'House of the Dragon' scene defended by George RR Martin

He added: "House of the Dragon features an incredibly talented cast and crew who poured their heart and soul into the production, and we're ecstatic with viewers' positive response. We look forward to sharing with audiences what else George [RR Martin], Ryan [Condal], and Miguel [Sapochnik] have in store for them this season."

House of the Dragon takes place around 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones and follows a time when the Targaryen family sit on the Iron Throne.

The series stars Paddy Considine as the ruling Viserys Targaryen, Matt Smith as his brother Daemon and Emma D'Arcy and Milly Alcock as his daughter and heir Rhaenyra.

The vast ensemble cast also includes Rhys Ifans, Olivia Cooke, Graham McTavish and Sonoya Mizuno.

The premiere episode received largely positive reviews, particularly for its acting and production design.

There was some criticism aimed at a scene which featured a graphic childbirth with some viewers calling it "gratuitous".

Showrunner Ryan Condal defended the scene: "In Fire and Blood, there’s a lot of very difficult births. It was something we wanted to carry over the season. There’s this whole idea in Game of Thrones, or in the Middle Ages, or in historical age like this, that the men marched off to the battlefield and the women’s battlefield happened in the child bed."

House of the Dragon can be watched in the UK on Sky Atlantic and NOW.

Watch below: Matt Smith & Paddy Considine on the Targaryen brothers.