After posting its best ratings ever for the premiere episode of Season 2, HBO’s Game of Thrones managed to hold an amazing 97% of that audience for the second episode of its sophomore season.  The initial showing of the show’s second season premiere garnered a series best audience of 3.9 million viewers, more viewers than watched the most recent episodes of The Killing and Mad Men, which air on basic cable, which has a much larger potential audience than the pay channel HBO (see “Game of Thrones Opener Sets Series Records”).

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the first season Game of Thrones premiere earned a 0.9 rating among adults 18-49, while the premiere of season 2 managed a 1.4 in the same demo.  At this point ratings for the second season Game of Thrones are now 50% above those for season one.  No word yet on the green light for season 3, but that would appear to be a mere formality given the show’s strong ratings so far.

Check out the preview for Episode 13, which airs next Sunday.