'Game Of Thrones'
Season three of "Game of Thrones" just concluded, but there is still plenty of speculation for the hit series' fourth season. HBO

The third season of “Game of Thrones” has, thus far, been an incredible success for HBO. The latest episode of “Game of Thrones” continues the early success as 5.3 million viewers tuned in for the first airing at 9 p.m.

“Game of Thrones” continues to receive rave reviews from critics, and fans dominate social media with discussions of the latest episode. In the season’s fourth episode, “And Now His Watch Is Ended,” fans were treated to the rise of Danerys Targaryan (Emilia Clarke) as she gained an army in spectacular fashion. There were also several important developments up north with the Night’s Watch, a fascinating discussion on revenge by Tyrion and Varys, further bonding between Jaime Lannister and Brienne and further plotting by the Tyrells and the Lannisters in King’s Landing.

With many important developments happening in last week’s episode of “Game of Thrones,” fans eagerly tuned in to watch “Kissed by Fire” on Sunday. Entertainment Weekly notes “Kissed by Fire” was the most-watched episode of the “Game of Thrones” series, with 5.3 million tuning in for the 9 p.m. premiere, with 6.7 million watching the show across all airings on Sunday.

“Game of Thrones” is setting records for series viewership each week. Last week’s “And Now His Watch Is Ended” previously held the record for most watched show in the series, and the latest episode saw an 8 percent increase in viewership, EW reports. With five more episodes left in the third season, along with several dramatic developments still to unfold in “Game of Thrones,” expect the record ratings to continue for the HBO series.

The ratings for “Game of Thrones” do not seem to be deterred by the show’s popularity on torrent sites. While 6 million viewers watched the premiere and replays on HBO, more than 100,000 have downloaded the most recent episode. On Kickass Torrents, one torrent has more than 50,000 seeders, the number of people who have completed the download and are now sharing, and more than 16,000 leechers, individuals currently downloading the episode via seeders.