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Shark Week first aired on July 17,
1988, it nearly doubled Discovery’s
primetime average ratings. On top
of that, it was a risk. Shark Week
may seem normal today, but as The
Daily Beast points out, back then
even HBO and Bravo hadn’t started
their own original programming yet.
The network has, quite literally, stuck to their winning formula
year after year. Much of Shark
Week’s 9 a.m. to 3 a.m. daily run is
repeated material from years past.
Each year sees the premiere of six
or seven new programs, while this
year boasts a record 10. Like any
reality show, watching comes with
the expectation that you’ll reach
that dramatic, “worth-it” moment
in the episode. With Shark Week,
there’s the added benefit that you
might learn something, too.
While in its early years, the show
drummed up shock tactics to pull in
viewers (“It rose to prominence using this formula of sensationalism
about sharks and danger,” marine
biologist Sal Jorgensen told the Los
Angeles Times), it’s become more
measured through the years, going
on to not only inform audiences,
but come to the aid of sharks. Sen.
John Kerry teamed up with Discovery to sponsor a Shark Week bill to
help end illegal shark fishing and
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increase protection for the animal.
In 1994, Discovery added an element that’s become a key part of
its self-deprecating identity — the
Shark Week Host. In recent years,
they’ve embraced their ironic shtick
with hosts such as Andy Samberg.
This year, the series picked someone with a lower profile — 26-yearold web sensation Philip DeFranco,
who rose to fame on YouTube and
boasts more than 300,000 Twitter
There is no exact formula
for why some franchises
grab the public consciousness
and never let go.”
followers. It’s a shrewd choice for a
series that’s already conquered the
TV ratings field and, according to
Discovery’s director of communication, Amy Hagovsky, saw the biggest spike in its viewership run parallel to the rise in social media. Just
browse through the Shark Week
tweets promoting it already — Megan Fox wrote, “Women are deep
beautiful blue oceans, and once
a month it’s shark week,” while
Adam Levine got the timing more
accurate: “#sharkweek.
Best week of the year.”