“Game of Thrones” aftershow rebranded, moved to Twitter

PanARMENIAN.Net - Bill Simmons' Game of Thrones aftershow is on the move.

Following one season on HBO's digital platforms, After the Thrones is being rebranded as Talk the Thrones and moving to stream live on Twitter and Periscope following each episode of the premium cabler's fantasy drama, The Hollywood Reporter reveals.

The Ringer's Andy Greenwald and Chris Ryan will remain on board as hosts of the weekly recap talk show that aired on HBO Go, HBO Now and HBO On Demand. Each installment will continue to contextualize events that happen in the mythology-heavy series based on George R.R. Martin's book series. The duo, who share the Ringer podcast The Watch, previously hosted Thrones recap podcast Watch the Thrones for Grantland.

The move to Twitter and Periscope comes as a natural progression for the series and as Game of Thrones ranked as the most discussed TV series on Twitter last year. It was also one of the top 10 hashtags of the past year, overall. HBO, which canceled the show, is no longer involved in any capacity.

Talk the Thrones is one of multiple ways Simmons' The Ringer will cover the series as it enters its seventh season. The company has Binge Mode, a podcast series with more than 60 discussions covering each episode that has aired; The Watch, two podcasts per week with Greenwald and Ryan discussing the new season; Maester Live, a Facebook Live chat with The Ringer's Jason Concepcion each week; and via recaps on TheRinger.com.

"We love Game of Thrones and we love the way Twitter is thinking about content right now, so we jumped at the chance to blow out our Thrones show into an interactive multimedia experience — something that reacts immediately to what just happened, almost like a postgame show in sports," Simmons said. "Nobody is equipped to do that better than Twitter. It's the natural evolution of what we had already established with Chris, Andy, Mallory and Jason."

Added Twitter chief operating officer and chief financial officer Anthony Noto: "Talk the Thrones brings the witty banter and real-time analysis you find on Twitter to a live show with hosts that keep it engaging well after the TV show ends. The Ringer continues to produce unique live shows about some of the most-discussed entertainment and sports topics on Twitter."

The news follows HBO's decision to cancel Simmons' weekly HBO talk show Any Given Wednesday after a little more than four months on the air. The last episode aired Nov. 9. Simmons, meanwhile, signed a huge deal with HBO in July 2015 and is busy prepping his next project for the cabler: a feature-length documentary about the life and career of WWE legend Andre the Giant.

Game of Thrones, meanwhile, continues its march toward its endgame with two abbreviated seasons remaining as HBO is mulling multiple scripts for a potential offshoot to continue its most watched franchise.