HBO's most-watched series, the medieval fantasy drama "Game of Thrones," will likely continue through three more seasons, a network executive said Thursday, as he defended the show's gritty violence.

Executives have planned to run at least seven seasons and are discussing with the show's creators how much longer the show will extend beyond that, said Michael Lombardo, president of HBO programming.

This year, "Game of Thrones" hit 20 million viewers on average for its fifth season, which received 24 Emmy nominations including a best drama nod.

"Game of Thrones" this year also helped launch HBO's standalone streaming service HBO Now, where viewers can watch HBO programming at any time without a cable subscription, as television continues to move toward on-demand viewing.

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