We have officially ventured back into the realm of Game of Thrones. The most outlandish and yet gripping franchise on television has returned to HBO with a brand new series - the third overall entry in the Westeros saga. And this one - A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms - is nothing like GoT or original spinoff House of the Dragon as it adopts a more light-hearted tone, ensuring that we all have a good time watching it.
The prequel series focuses on Ser Duncan the Tall before he has built the legendary reputation that he is known for by the time that Game of Thrones rolls around. Here he is a Hedge Knight, looking for his place in the world after his master died. Can he find it? That's the question that the spinoff asks, as it brings him into the world of a young boy named Egg. And together, the two develop an unlikely friendship.
The show's release on Sunday nights has been expected given how important that night is to the franchise, but there is a somewhat surprising element about its release next weekend.. as it will be going head-to-head with the Super Bowl.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episode 4 will release early on streaming ahead of Sunday night's airing
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episode 4, titled "Seven", is set to premiere early on HBO Max, arriving on the streamer on Friday, February 6, at 12:01am PT/3:01am ET. It will then air on HBO on Sunday, February 8, in its typical timeslot at 10:00 p.m. ET, 7:00 p.m. PT, 8:00 p.m. MT, and 9:00 p.m. CT. While this might seem like a surprise, it's down to the fact that the show's linear airing will be in direct competition with Super Bowl LX - which is something that HBO has actively tried to avoid in the past.
Whenever there is a larger-scale event - such as the Super Bowl - HBO shows planned for Sunday night have released episodes earlier on streaming. We saw this happen with The Last of Us in its first season, which unveiled its fourth episode on streaming service HBO Max on the Friday ahead of its typical Sunday release. While the show itself still aired on linear television on the HBO Channel on the respective Sunday, fans had the choice to stream it early and perhaps watch the Super Bowl on the Sunday instead. This allowed the show to avoid the wave of competition that would have come from direct competition with the Super Bowl - and potentially experiencing a huge ratings decline on that particular night.
A similar strategy was adopted just last year for IT: Welcome to Derry, when HBO Max released the second episode early in honor of the Halloween weekend - allowing fans to either stream it early or wait until its linear broadcast on the Sunday night. So, with the WarnerMedia platforms still utilizing this strategy that recently, fans were wondering if they would potentially risk A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' momentum by putting it directly up against the Super Bowl when there is a backup plan in place. That has not been the case.
Granted, this is the Game of Thrones franchise we're talking about here. Not only can it hold its own, but one little ratings drop due to a schedule clash with the Super Bowl wouldn't disrupt the franchise's long-term success (or even that of Ser Dunk and Egg!).
Nevertheless, fans of the beloved GoT spinoff can now tune into the new episode a little earlier than expected, streaming it early on Friday after all!