ANIMAL PLANET’S “WHALE WARS” WINS RATINGS BATTLE IN FOURTH SEASON OPENER
Weekend Also Delivers More Than 1M P2+ Viewers for FINDING BIGFOOT Season Premiere
June 7, 2011
(New York, New York, June 7, 20011) - Captain Paul Watson's lifelong quest to end whaling may be coming to an end in the fourth and potentially final season of WHALE WARS, and viewers lined up behind him and his Sea Shepherd Conservation Society as the Friday's premiere was the series' most-watched debut ever, pulling in 1.271M P2+ viewers.
The season opener - "Battle Cry" - was also the series' most-watched opener ever among all major demos, including P25-54 (724K), M25-54 (433K), W25-54 (291K), P18-49 (676K) and P18-34 (336K). It also posted delivery gains compared to the season three premiere across all major demos, including P25-54 (+15%), M25-54 (+15%), W25-54 (+15%), P18-49 (+9%), P18-34 (+21%) and P2+ (+17%). The episode helped rank Animal Planet #3 among all ad-supported cable networks in the Friday 9 PM timeslot based on M25-54 and M18-49 delivery (excluding movies).
WHALE WARS topped Trendrr.TV's daily chart for June 3 as the most buzzed-about television show in the social web for both broadcast and cable television. WHALE WARS was also among the top ten search terms on Google and top ten trending topics on Twitter on Friday.
The six-part series, FINDING BIGFOOT, which premiered this past Sunday at 10 PM, drew in 1.088M P2+ viewers and 1.12M P2+ viewers for its 11 PM encore. In addition, a Memorial Day sneak preview telecast delivered 1.387M P2+ viewers, making it the network's most-watched late-night telecast ever.
WHALE WARS and FINDING BIGFOOT contributed to Animal Planet scoring its highest weekly prime delivery in more than eight years among M25-54 (210K).
Animal Planet's Emmy-nominated WHALE WARS returns for a fourth captivating season with 10 exhilarating episodes documenting the Sea Shepherds' dramatic campaign on the Antarctic high seas. This new season is full of the drama that viewers have come to expect from the Sea Shepherds' campaigns, including new equipment in their arsenal -- a new vessel that's almost as fast but far bigger than the boat destroyed last year, a helicopter with a greater range, secret GPS devices, and more. Aside from the Sea Shepherds' new tactics, there are harrowing experiences unlike any viewers will have seen before, including a crew stranded overnight in freezing conditions and a tragic mayday call. Captain Alex Corneliessen joins the campaign to helm the Bob Barker, and Captain Lockhart Maclean takes command of the Sea Shepherds' newest small vessel.
In FINDING BIGFOOT, four eccentric, passionate members of the Bigfoot Field Research Organization (BFRO) sweep through Southern small towns and remote areas of the Pacific Northwest and Alaska in search of the elusive "creature" known as Bigfoot or the Sasquatch. The foursome engage in the ultimate sleuth, trying to prove that Bigfoot really does exist and is alive and well in the United States!
WHALE WARS is produced by The Lizard Trading Company for Animal Planet. Liz Bronstein is the executive producer for The Lizard Trading Company, and Jason Carey is the executive producer for Animal Planet. Charlie Foley is the vice president of development for Animal Planet.
FINDING BIGFOOT is produced for Animal Planet by Ping Pong Productions. Keith Hoffman is the executive producer for Animal Planet. Brad Kuhlman and Casey Brumels are the executive producers for Ping Pong Productions. Marc Etkind is Vice President of development for Animal Planet.
Animal Planet Media (APM), a multi-media business unit of Discovery Communications, is the world's only entertainment brand that immerses viewers in the full range of life in the animal kingdom with rich, deep content via multiple platforms and offers animal lovers and pet owners access to a centralized online, television and mobile community for immersive, engaging, high-quality entertainment, information and enrichment. APM consists of the Animal Planet television network, available in more than 97 million homes in the US; online assets www.animalplanet.com, the ultimate online destination for all things animal; the 24/7 broadband channel, Animal Planet Beyond; Petfinder.com, the #1 pet-related Web property globally that facilitates pet adoption; and other media platforms including a robust Video-on-Demand (VOD) service; mobile content; and merchandising extensions.