New "Last of Us" record

 

8.1 million people watched HBO's "The Last of Us" on Sunday night across linear TV and streaming platforms.   That makes it the most-viewed episode to date on its premiere day; Episode 4 held the previous record, with 7.5 million viewers. This week's viewership was up 74% vs. the series premiere in January, which drew an audience of 4.7 million on its debut Sunday. The premiere still performed well enough to rank as HBO's second most-watched debut of the decade, behind only the "Game of Thrones" spinoff "House of the Dragon." Next week's ninth episode serves as the Season 1 finale; it will compete on Sunday night against the Academy Awards, airing on ABC.