Cable giant HBO has announced plans to scrap the eighth and final season of Game of Thrones. The network cited declining ratings and excessive production costs as reasons for the cancellation.
According to Chief Content Officer Victor Osterhaus the series has experienced rapidly declining viewership numbers ever since season five when author and executive producer Goerge R.R. Martin stepped away from the series.
Show runners took the show in a different direction after Martin abruptly left over a dispute for creative control. “With the death of Aarya Stark and the mystery involving demise of Jon Snow we felt we had nowhere else to take the series” said Theo Phillips, executive producer.
“There was a lot of animosity among fans when director H. Philip Bolinger decided to resurrect Cersi Lannister-Barathaian as Protector of the Realm in a battle for Westeros with Desary Targarian- the Mother of Dragons” said Martin. “Its not how I imagined the story ending ”
The show originally slated for a late 2018 return may be done for good as competing Netflix bid to produce the show was met with opposition. “Unless HBO agrees to relinquish broadcast rights for the past seasons, It’s not worth us investing in as a network.” said