Sunday evenings – or early Mondays – won’t be the same for millions of Game of Thrones fans around the world.

After eight seasons, the last episode of the record-breaking series has aired.

And its creators are banking on its longevity.

CGTN’s Owen Fairclough has more.

There are no spoilers here – but it’s no secret that the final episode of Game Of Thrones marks the end of an era for television.

19.3 million people watched the final episode.

It was a new record for creators HBO and kind of shared TV event that’s disappearing in an era of on-demand streaming services.

But the final season was panned by some fans partly due to production gaffes and a petition calling for HBO to remake it has collected more than a million signatures.

And there was an uproar in China after Tencent, which broadcasts the show there, postponed airing the final episode due to what it called “media transfer issues.”

Even so, record audience figures make Game of Thrones valuable property for parent company AT&T as it launches its own streaming service to recoup viewers abandoning traditional cable TV.

In any case, Game of Thrones isn’t quite over. A spin-off series is already in the works.

And the Game of Thrones TV series took the story beyond the original novels long ago. Author, George R R Martin, has yet to complete his own ending to a saga that – like all classics – leaves fans craving more.

Stacy Jones discusses the legacy of ‘Game of Thrones’ after eight seasons

CGTN’s Rachelle Akuffo spoke with Stacy Jones, founder and CEO, Hollywood Branded about the commercial legacy of the HBO hit series, ‘Game of Thrones.’