The Last of Us gets its tendrils into the nation with finale reaching over 3.1 million Sky UK viewers
The Last of Us gets its tendrils into the nation with finale reaching over 3.1 million Sky UK viewers
- The Last of Us becomes Sky’s biggest finale audience ever for a US debut-series.
- Over 3.1 million (7-day cumulative) viewing figure puts it ahead of the House of the Dragon finale.
- Brits have been gripped by real world implication of the show - Google searches for Cordyceps fungus, are up 356% year on year, with over 20,000 searches in the UK in the last month*.
The last episode of the critically acclaimed series, The Last of Us, has received the biggest audience ever for a first-series US drama finale on Sky. Captivating viewers, the concluding episode has reached over 3.1 million UK viewers to date reflected in the 7-day cumulative audience figure**.
Viewers of The Last of Us were hooked, with typically a third of fans watching the show within the first 24 hours of episodes airing on Sky**. The official Sky Atlantic overnight ratings reported 1.2 million** viewers – this exceeded the viewership of the Love Island Finale which aired on the same night. With its growing success, the 3.1 million 7-day cumulative figure has also surpassed the audience for the finale of House of the Dragon.
The Last of Us has gripped the nation with thousands of fans wanting to know more about the potential implication of Cordyceps – a real world fungi – developing a fungal pandemic. The topic has sparked over 11,000 news articles since the first episode aired and 27,000 views of The Last of Us Wiki page over the last 28 days***.
Trying to get as much information as possible, Brits have been captivated by the series theme. Digging into the archive, David Attenborough’s Planet Earth YouTube clip from 14 years ago, which looks at how Cordyceps can take control of ants, has reached 11 million views.****
Zai Bennett MD of Content at Sky said: “I’m blown away by the overwhelming response we have had to The Last Of Us. The Sky Atlantic series really has broken new ground with its storytelling and you can really see the impact the show has had with its contribution to a national conversation. It has inspired, challenged, and captivated fans and critics alike.”
Episode Three, which received rave reviews from critics, resulted in the song that closed the show - Linda Ronstadt’s ‘Long, Long Time’ - seeing a 4,900% uplift in streams and charting for the first time in 50 years*****.
The Last of Us has been renewed for a second season and viewers can catch up with the entirety of Season One on demand via Sky and streaming service NOW with an Entertainment Membership.
For further information please contact:
Images available via Sky’s editorial asset centre here
Notes to Editors
Data Sources:
*Google Trends data
**BARB and Sky data
***Meltwater analysis and Sky data
****This is compared to other clips of the same series that are in the low millions
*****On Sunday 29 January between 11pm and midnight ET – according to Spotify
