Discovery's Shark Week and Nat Geo's SharkFest combine for 66 hours of new shark programming this summer

Variety

Shark Week, which Discovery considers its "Super Bowl," kicks off its 33rd year on Sunday with an unprecedented 45 hours of programming. SharkFest, meanwhile, debuted earlier this week with 21 hours of new programming stretching over six weeks. "The escalating volume of programming, and high-profile names associated with it, underscores how important these ventures are to both companies even as other Hollywood rivals begin swimming in these waters," reports Variety's Addie Morfoot. "The annual summer franchises, that air globally, produce short-term and long-term audience gains leading to higher than usual ratings that in turn attract millions of advertising dollars. For these companies, and newer competitors swimming in these crowded programming waters, sharks are the gift that keeps on giving...Last year 21 million viewers tuned into Shark Week over a seven-day period, Discovery says, while 31.1 million tuned into SharkFest over a five-week period, according to Nat Geo. And ratings spiked at both as shark programming rolled out. According to Justin Fromm, Head of Research at LG Ads, 37% of Shark Week viewers in 2020 had not watched Discovery the month prior to the event’s launch. Meanwhile, 51% of SharkFest viewers had not watched Nat Geo the month before the franchise premiered."