The Last of Us Episode 2 Breaks Massive Records for HBO

01/23/2023 06:49 pm EST

After having the second largest series premiere in over a decade for HBO, the second episode of The Last of Us is now breaking some major records. Last night's second episode, "Infected", brought in 5.7 million viewers across HBO and linear telecasts on Sunday night, a number that is up 22 percent from the series debut last week, per Nielsen and first party data. This is the largest week 2 audience growth for an HBO Original drama series in network history. Additionally, the series premiere now has 18 million viewers, which is up nearly four times from its premiere night audience.

"We are thrilled to see fans of the series and game alike experience this iconic story in a new way, and we extend our gratitude to them for helping to make it a success," Casey Bloys, Chairman and CEO, HBO & HBO Max Content said last week upon the show's initial success. "Congratulations to Craig, Neil and the brilliant cast and crew who worked tirelessly to bring this show to life. We look forward to fans around the world enjoying the rest of the season."

"Our focus was simply to make the best possible adaptation of this beloved story for as big an audience as we could," said Executive Producers Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann. "We are overjoyed to see how many fans, both old and new, have welcomed The Last of Us into their homes and their hearts."

The Last of Us is also seeing a rise in streams for Depeche Mode's "Never Let Me Down Again"

It isn't just The Last of Us that has been very popular since its debut on HBO last week. Music from the series has also been a hit with audiences as well, particularly Depeche Mode's 1987 track, "Never Let Me Down Again". The song, a single from the album, Music for the Masses, featured in the series premiere as part of coded messages. Since its use in the episode, plays of the song more than tripled in on-demand U.S. streams, increasing 220.5 percent overnight.

For more Last of Us content, check out ComicBook and Entertainment Tonight's new podcast: The Last of Pods. The podcast will include breakdowns of each episode, interviews with special guests from the show, and more. The Last of Us airs on HBO and HBO Max at 9 p.m. Eastern every Sunday with The Last of Pods debuting immediately following each show.

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