Data: Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.; Chart: Axios Visuals
It's not March Madness, but the upcoming finale of "Game of Thrones" is going to cost employers billions in lost productivity.
The impact: An estimated 10.7 million Americans will skip work the morning after the finale airs on Sunday night, according to The Workforce Institute at Kronos.
Yes, but: Although some employees may not show up and water-cooler discussions of "Game of Thrones" may be intense as the HBO series nears its conclusion, there are far costlier workplace diversions, according to a calculation by the outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.
Go deeper: Final season of "Game of Thrones" marks decline of appointment TV
