“Game of Thrones,” HBO’s most popular television series, returned last night – at the exact same time AMC’s most popular series, “The Walking Dead,” ended its first season.

Both “Game of Thrones” and “Walking Dead” are ratings juggernauts for their respective networks.  “The Walking Dead” consistently tops itself (and pretty much every show on the Big Four) on a regular basis.  Despite the revolving door of showrunners and the ever-increasing death toll, fans can’t get enough of “The Walking Dead.”

“Game of Thrones” also keeps breaking records, though not just that of rising ratings.  In December, “Thrones” was named the most pirated show for the second consecutive year. Because of HBO’s pay-to-watch status, its ratings aren’t as high as AMC, but the 4.2 million viewers who watched the season two finale broke HBO – and the show’s – records.

Because “The Walking Dead” ended as “Game of Thrones” began, last night was the only time we will see the shows fight for an audience.  

Update: According to official Nielsen ratings, the “Game of Thrones” third season premiere reached a series high with 4.4 million viewers. “The Walking Dead” also reached a series best with 12.4 million viewers.