Actor and WWE superstar John Cena will look to help Discovery take a bite out of the summer viewing TV audience as host of the network’s annual “Shark Week” lineup of programming.

Discovery hopes to build on the 5.3 million total viewers who tuned in to the Jason Momoa-hosted programming stunt last year across the cable network and streaming services Max and Discovery Plus. Shark Week 2024, which launches July 7, will feature more than 20 hours of programming focused on the popular ocean predators that have been a staple of Discovery’s summer programming lineup since 1988. 

Also Read: New Shark Week Sponsors Include Ford, Harbor Freight, Universal Pictures

“It’s a wild week of shocking new footage, new discoveries and lots and lots of teeth,” Cena said in a statement.

Among the highlights of Shark Week 2024 is a sequel to last year’s Belly of the Beast special. Belly of the Beast: Bigger and Bloodier debuts July 7 continues its focus on the feeding frenzy of Great White sharks in New Zealand.

The mating rituals of sharks will be explored in a July 8 special Shark Frenzy: Mating Games, while on July 9, marine biologists examine the jaw mechanics of shark species in the special Deadliest Bite. 

A potentially new species of Hammerhead sharks discovered in Turks and Caicos headline a July 9 special Monster Hammerheads: Species X. A surge of rare Great White Shark encounters in Nova Scotia serves as the subject for the July 10 Great White North special, while researchers track rare leopard sharks in Indonesia’s Raja Ampat Islands as part of the July 13 Sharktopia special. 

Warner Brothers Discovery said that Ford, Harbor Freight and Universal Pictures have signed up as new sponsors for “Shark Week,” the predatory programming event in its 36th year.

Advertisers back for another bite as Shark Week sponsors include Gorilla Glue, PNC Bank, Sherwin Williams and Universal Pictures.

Last year's Shark Week sponsors included Budweiser, Chili's and Domino's

Many Shark Week advertisers receive custom video and promotional elements like tagged tune-in spots, billboards, in-program messaging and streaming collections as part of their sponsorships.

PNC Bank-sponsored billboard will run across Warner Bros. Discovery-owned cable networks Discovery Channel, TBS, HGTV and Food Networks.

Sherwin Williams will have sponsored vignettes running on Discovery, TBS and TNT.

“Shark Week is a pop-culture phenomenon that has become synonymous with summer programming, and our viewers  look forward to the entertaining, innovative shark-themed programming year-after-year,” said Greg Regis, executive VP, advertising sales at Warner Bros. Discovery. “It provides an opportunity for our partners to connect with engaged audiences live,  across devices, networks and platforms, to develop integrative messaging that resonates with consumers.”

Shark Week, running from July 7 through July 13 on Discovery Channel and streaming on Max, will feature 21 hours of new programming. 

John Cena will be this year’s Shark Week host.

Programming highlights include the next chapter of Belly of the Beast, Monster Hammerheads: Species X and Great White Serial Killer: Sea of Blood, which investigates a massive shark that  decapitates its victim and terrorizes a local village. 

Last year, Discovery Channel was the top ranked network in all of television with adults 18-49 and men 18-49 on the first night of Shark Week.

More than 5.3 million total viewers watched Shark Week programming across Discovery Channel, Max and discovery plus on its first night. Shark Week accounted for an 18% lift in overall streaming. Shark Week 2023 also generated 191 million total social impressions. 

Discovery Channel’s heavily promoted Shark Week annual programming stunt jumped out to a fast start this past Sunday (July 23) with adult viewers, according to the network.

Discovery’s three-hour block of original primetime programming on July 23 — featuring such shows as Belly of the Beast: Feeding Frenzy, Jaws vs The Meg and Serial Killer: Red Sea Attacks — topped all television shows among adults 25 to 54 as it reached more than 5.3 million total viewers across Discovery Channel and Max during its premiere night, according to Discovery.

Overall, through its first four nights, Discovery said Shark Week programming was most watched on cable among all adults 25-54 and 18-49, as well as women 18-34 on a Nielsen-live-plus-same-day basis. 

Discovery Channel heavily cross-promoted Shark Week programming across such Warner Bros Discovery platforms as TBS, Travel Channel, TNT, Food Network, HGTV and CNN, according to the network.

“We were able to harness the strength of the Warner Bros. Discovery portfolio to cross-promote Shark Week, and now, with double-digit gains throughout the week, it is the highest rated in three years — with every night outperforming a year ago,” Discovery Networks and TLC president Howard Lee said in a statement. “It’s a powerful example of how we can use our platforms to showcase high-profile programming events. Also, our collaboration with host Jason Momoa, the fan-favorite actor and conservationist who guides viewers through each night of programming, ensured that our first night was a success and set the stage for the week’s strong performance.” 

Shark Week is coming and a mouthful of new sponsors have signed up for the fearsome event’s 35th anniversary season.

Signing up for the 2023 edition are Budweiser, Chili’s Grill & Bar, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Domino’s, Mountain Dew, Long John Silver’s and the University of Phoenix.

Returning sponsors include Gorilla Glue, PNC Bank, Sport Clips and Wayfair. 

Shark Week sponsors often air specially-themed ads to mark the occasion. Sponsorship also includes custom vignettes, tagged tune-ins, billboards and in-program messaging, plus social media extensions across TikTok, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

“Shark Week attracts impressive audiences year after year, and we create endemic sponsorship opportunities for clients that fit seamlessly into the programming to deliver enjoyable advertising experiences for engaged consumers,” said Jon Diament, executive VP, advertising sales at Warner Bros. Discovery. “We work closely with our sponsors to ensure their overall marketing objectives are met through unique and impactful campaigns that provide unmatched reach and scale through our wide portfolio of brands.”

This year, Shark Week appears from July 23 through July 29 on Discovery Channel. It will also available to stream on Max and Discovery Plus, parent company Warner Bros. Discovery’s direct-to-consumer platforms.

Shark Week is being hosted by actor Jason Momoa. It will feature 20 hours of new programming. Shows will take viewers inside a great white shark feeding frenzy and investigate rumors of sharks feasting on cocaine.

Shark Week attracted more than 28 million viewers last year.

Warner Bros. Discovery’s linear and streaming portfolio — including TBS, TNT, truTV, TLC, Food Network, HGTV, CNN, Travel Channel, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Animal Planet, Science Channel, ID, TCM — will air Shark Week-inspired content or cross-promote the event.  

Discovery Channel has tapped Aquaman film star Jason Momoa to host its 35th annual Shark Week programming block this summer, Warner Bros Discovery announced Wednesday during its upfront presentation in New York City.

Momoa will set up the lineup of shows Discovery will offer around the world of sharks from new and continuously explored destinations, which runs in July. Momoa follows last year's Shark Week Master of Ceremonies Dwayne Johnson. 

“As the host of Shark Week, I am beyond excited to take you along on this journey,” said Momoa, who will star in Aquaman film sequel Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. “This project means more to me than a week of talking about sharks. It’s a chance for me to learn and share my connection to these amazing creatures. My love of sharks came long before my time as Aquaman – it began several generations before me.”

Below is a snapshot of TV by the numbers for the week of July 25-31, highlighting the most-watched shows and networks using glass-level data from Vizio’s Inscape, and network and show TV ad impressions insights via iSpot.tv.

Most-Watched Shows and Networks

Via Inscape, Vizio’s TV data product with glass-level insights from a panel of more than 19 million active and opted-in smart TVs. Data is linear, live TV only and includes all episode types (new and reruns). Rankings are by percent share duration (i.e., time spent watching).

Syndicated Law & Order: Special Victims Unit episodes hopped from No. 4 to No. 1 by TV watch-time week-over-week. From July 25-31, the show collected 1.39% of minutes watched, up from 0.83% the previous week.

Some additional insights about the top programming on TV:

• Crime-related programming peppers our ranking, as eight of the top 25 shows are crime-focused procedural dramas.
• Speaking of, Law & Order is a big week-over-week mover in our ranking, up from No. 35 to No. 20 by minutes watched.
• HGTV’s Love It or List It also makes a significant move week-over-week, from No. 33 to No. 17 in our ranking.
• The Rocket Mortgage Classic carries the PGA Tour from No. 12 to No. 8 week-over-week by watch-time.

Golf is a big part of why CBS sits atop our list of most-watched networks for the second consecutive week. CBS increased watch-time from 6.03% to 6.24% week-over-week.

Additional insights around the most-watched networks from July 25-31:

• With a full slate of Shark Week content, Discovery swims from No. 18 to No. 11 in our ranking, increasing minutes watched from 1.29% to 1.77%.
• NBC stays at No. 3 week-over-week in our ranking, but increases watch-time from 5.55% to 5.84%.
• INSP hops from No. 26 to No. 25 week-over-week, thanks in large part to Gunsmoke syndicated airings (which account for nearly 38% of watch-time on the network).
• TV Land makes its own subtle week-over-week move from No. 21 to No. 20 in our ranking, as audiences tuned into Everybody Loves Raymond and The Andy Griffith Show reruns.

Top Shows and Networks by TV Ad Impressions

Via iSpot.tv, the always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company. Rankings are by TV ad impressions, for new episodes only. 

Good Morning America moves up one spot to No. 1 by TV ad impressions week-over-week, delivering 2.37% (down slightly from 2.40% the previous week) from July 25-31.

More data about the top programs by TV ad impressions:

• News-related programs dominate, accounting for six of the top 10 spots — and 16 of the top 25 programs — by impressions.
• Reality shows make up three of the top 25 in our ranking, led by La casa de los famosos (the Spanish-language version of Celebrity Big Brother) at No. 14.
• Even without the previous week’s All-Star Game, Major League Baseball games stayed among the top five programs by impressions delivered, at 1.89%.
• The PGA Tour leaps from No. 16 to No. 9 week-over-week, as the Rocket Mortgage Classic served up 1.33% of TV ad impressions.

Fox News is parked at No. 1 in our ad-impressions-by-network ranking for the fifth straight week, delivering 13.55% of impressions (up from 12.71% the previous week).

Additional insights around the top networks by impressions:

• Shark Week helped fuel Discovery Channel’s migration from No. 13 to No. 10 by share of TV ad impressions week-over-week.
• A full week of games and the looming trade deadline boosted MLB Network’s share of TV ad impressions week-over-week, from 1.14% to 1.88%.
• Fox Sports 1 moves from No. 20 to No. 17 in our ranking, thanks in part to baseball and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
• Summer heat waves warm up TV ad impressions for The Weather Channel, which makes a modest climb from No. 27 to No. 25 week-over-week in our ranking.

Commercials appearing in Shark Week programming on Discovery Channel were 49% more effective at generating incremental online searches than the average primetime program across broadcast and cable, according to research and analytic company EDO.

Compared to last year, EDO said the number of incremental search generated by commercials in this year’s edition of Shark Week generated 6% more incremental searches for the brands advertising, 552,000 compared to 523,000 a year ago.

Also: Airbnb, Morey’s, Nautica, PNC Bank, Red Robin, Sport Clips Join Shark Week Sponsors

Discovery earlier this year hired EDO to measure the impact of ad campaign on achieving clients’ business objectives.

Overall, EDO found that his year’s Shark Week primetime programming was 11% more engaging than last year’s event.

Ads and promos for entertainment properties tend to draw the most reaction from viewers, and the spot that generated the most searches during Shark Week was the 3-minute trailer for House of Dragons, HBO Max's eagerly awaited prequel to Game of Thrones. Appearing during Jackass Shark Week 2.0, the trailer generated more than 43,000 incremental search, a positive for corporate synergy now that HBO and Discovery are both part of Warner Bros. Discovery.

Running in Shark Week, the House of Dragon trailer generated 96 times the online branded search as the average House of Dragon ad on national TV.

The next two most incremental searches resulted from ads for the film Bullet Train. 

Among other product categories, a spot for Great Wolf Lodge generated the most additional search. The spot aired during Clash of Killers: Great White vs. Mako and produced 9,780 more searches.

EDO said the restaurant category accounted for half the top non-entertainment commercials, with spots for Sonic Drive-In, Domino’s Pizza and Chick-fil-A all making the list.

Among all categories, banking and finance and pharmaceuticals saw the best increases in incremental searches compared to the average primetime program. Viewers of banking and finance ads during Shark Week were 108% more likely to search online and pharma ad viewers were 72% more likely to start a search.

“This marked the first Shark Week presented by the newly merged Warner Bros Discovery network. As such, loads of cross-promotion and cross-channel support – as well as a star-studded lineup with The Rock serving as master of ceremonies and guest stars from the cast of Impractical Jokers and Jackass – helped propel year-over-year viewership as well as an 11% improvement in overall program performance,” said Laura Grover, senior VP, head of client solutions at EDO. "Ad airings from the restaurant category performed particularly well this year, holding half of the top ten spots as measured by ad-driven online branded search.” ■

B+C has partnered with always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company iSpot.tv to bring you a weekly chart we call Promo Mojo: exclusive data showing TV’s most-promoted programming ranked by ad impressions. Our data covers the seven-day period through July 31.

Discovery’s Shark Week is No. 1 for the third week in a row. The network also snags third place for Naked and Afraid XL: Frozen.

The rest of the chart is once again dominated by cable networks, with Discovery joined by Food Network, which cooks up excitement for the second season of Alex vs America in second place (for a second week in a row); TNT, which hypes the final season of crime drama Animal Kingdom in fourth; and Hallmark Channel, which gives some love to its new romantic movie A Splash of Love in fifth.

Notably, A Splash of Love scores the week’s highest iSpot Attention Index (119), meaning viewers were on average highly likely to watch its promos all the way through (vs. interrupting viewing by changing the channel, pulling up the guide, fast-forwarding or turning off the TV).

1) Shark Week, Discovery

Impressions: 377,301,038

Interruption Rate: 1.45%

Attention Index: 114 (14% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 97%, Local 2%, VOD/OTT 1%

In-network Value: $970,513

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $366,555

2) Alex vs America, Food Network

Impressions: 365,470,510

Interruption Rate: 1.72%

Attention Index: 101 (1% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 98%, Local 1%, VOD/OTT 1%

In-network Value: $1,051,807

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $502,906

3) Naked and Afraid: XL, Discovery

Impressions: 275,380,525

Interruption Rate: 1.61%

Attention Index: 98 (2% more interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 97%, Local 1%, VOD/OTT 2%

In-network Value: $598,982

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $288,443

4) Animal Kingdom, TNT

Impressions: 201,851,886

Interruption Rate: 1.65%

Attention Index: 103 (3% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 97%, Local 1%, VOD/OTT 2%

In-network Value: $451,893

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $529,764

5) A Splash of Love, Hallmark Channel

Impressions: 193,426,076

Interruption Rate: 3.73%

Attention Index: 119 (19% fewer interruptions than avg.)

In-network Value: $967,558

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $0

* Data provided by iSpot.tv, TV Ad Measurement for Disruptive Brands *

For more information about Promo Mojo — including the chart positions of promos beyond the top five — contact mediapartnerships@ispot.tv.

Impressions: The total impressions within all U.S. households including National Linear (Live & Time-shifted), VOD plus OTT, and Local.

Attention Score: Measures the propensity of consumers to interrupt an ad play on TV. The higher the score, the more complete views. Actions that interrupt an ad play include changing the channel, pulling up the guide, fast-forwarding or turning off the TV.

Attention Index: Represents the Attention of a specific creative or program placement vs. the average in its respective industry. The average is represented by a score of 100, and the total index range is from 0 through 200. For example, an attention index of 125 means that there are 25% fewer interrupted ad plays compared to the average.

Impression Types: Impression types tracked include National (Live + Time-shifted), Local, VOD & OTT. See below for further details.

In-Network Value: Estimated media value of in-network promos.

Out-of-Network Spend: The estimated amount spent on TV airing time for this promo's spots during a given date range.

National: Live: A national promo which was viewed during live linear television broadcast or same day, via DVR or on-demand.

Local: A promo that was aired during a local ad break slot.

VOD: This includes promos that run in on-demand content past three days (i.e. do not contain the linear promo load).

OTT: On-demand streaming content (i.e. Hulu, Roku, Fire TV Stick, Chromecast). ■

B+C has partnered with always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company iSpot.tv to bring you a weekly chart we call Promo Mojo: exclusive data showing TV’s most-promoted programming ranked by ad impressions. Our data covers the seven-day period through July 24.

Discovery’s Shark Week is No. 1 for the second week in a row.

The rest of the chart is once again dominated by cable networks, with Discovery joined by Food Network, which cooks up excitement for the second season of Alex vs America in second place; Hallmark Channel, which gives some love to original romantic movie Christmas in Toyland (part of its Christmas in July programming block) in third place; and TNT, which hypes the final season of original crime drama Animal Kingdom in fourth.

Rounding out the ranking is the sole traditional broadcaster in our ranking, CBS, which promotes reality competition The Challenge: USA in fifth.

Notably, The Challenge: USA scores the week’s highest iSpot Attention Index (137), meaning viewers were on average highly likely to watch its promos all the way through (vs. interrupting viewing by changing the channel, pulling up the guide, fast-forwarding or turning off the TV).

1) Shark Week, Discovery

Impressions: 582,458,828

Interruption Rate: 1.72%%

Attention Index: 108 (8% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 97%, Local 2%, VOD/OTT 1%

In-network Value: $1,692,974

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $842,837

2) Alex vs America, Food Network

Impressions: 215,902,207

Interruption Rate: 1.63%

Attention Index: 99 (1% more interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 100%, Local 0%, VOD/OTT 0%

In-network Value: $706,810

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $206,723

3) Christmas in Toyland, Hallmark Channel

Impressions: 194,084,342

Interruption Rate: 3.74%

Attention Index: 117 (17% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 100%, Local 0%, VOD/OTT 0%

In-network Value: $1,040,973

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $0.00

4) Animal Kingdom, TNT

Impressions: 172,927,763

Interruption Rate: 2.21%

Attention Index: 96 (4% fewer interruptions than avg.)

In-network Value: $607,971

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $410,845

5) The Challenge: USA, CBS

Impressions: 157,125,329

Interruption Rate: 1.27%

Attention Index: 137 (37% fewer interruptions than avg.)

In-network Value: $913,041

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $0.00

* Data provided by iSpot.tv, TV Ad Measurement for Disruptive Brands *

For more information about Promo Mojo — including the chart positions of promos beyond the top five — contact mediapartnerships@ispot.tv.

Impressions: The total impressions within all U.S. households including National Linear (Live & Time-shifted), VOD plus OTT, and Local.

Attention Score: Measures the propensity of consumers to interrupt an ad play on TV. The higher the score, the more complete views. Actions that interrupt an ad play include changing the channel, pulling up the guide, fast-forwarding or turning off the TV.

Attention Index: Represents the Attention of a specific creative or program placement vs. the average in its respective industry. The average is represented by a score of 100, and the total index range is from 0 through 200. For example, an attention index of 125 means that there are 25% fewer interrupted ad plays compared to the average.

Impression Types: Impression types tracked include National (Live + Time-shifted), Local, VOD & OTT. See below for further details.

In-Network Value: Estimated media value of in-network promos.

Out-of-Network Spend: The estimated amount spent on TV airing time for this promo's spots during a given date range.

National: Live: A national promo which was viewed during live linear television broadcast or same day, via DVR or on-demand.

Local: A promo that was aired during a local ad break slot.

VOD: This includes promos that run in on-demand content past three days (i.e. do not contain the linear promo load).

OTT: On-demand streaming content (i.e. Hulu, Roku, Fire TV Stick, Chromecast). ■

Noah Schnapp, who plays Will Byers on Stranger Things, hosts Stranger Sharks on Discovery July 25. Shark Week began on Discovery July 24. 

Schnapp teams with YouTube star Mark Rober on Stranger Sharks. The pair explores abandoned undersea ruins and artificial reefs, as they search for the most peculiar sharks in the ocean.

Rober, a former NASA engineer, hosts videos with a science theme on YouTube. He has over 22.2 million subscribers.  

Also on Discovery July 24 is Air Jaws: Top Guns, which sees Dickie Chivell and Andy Casagrande use high-tech cameras to catch great whites leaping out of the water; Great White Serial Kill: Fatal Christmas, where investigators look into the death of a surfer in California; Rise of the Monster Hammerheads, where Casagrande and Dr. Tristan Guttridge look into monster hammerheads off Florida; and Mega Predators of Oz, which sees experts investigate a half-eaten mako in South Australia. ■

Pay-per-view content aggregator In Demand will look to sink its teeth into cable’s annual July shark-themed programming stunts with a special airing of Syfy’s original Sharknado movie.

In Demand on July 26 will distribute Sharknado: The Critics’ Roast, in which the first Sharknado film will feature new commentary from online film critics The Cinema Snob and the Nostalgia Critic, according to In Demand. Sharknado: The Critics’ Roast will be available exclusively to In Demand affiliates including Comcast Cable, Charter Communications and Cox Communications for a suggested retail price of $5.99, according to In Demand.

In addition, In Demand will make available for rent or purchase the full Sharknado movie catalog, including Sharknado, Sharknado 2: The Second One, Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!, Sharknado 3: Extended Edition, Sharknado 4: The 4th Awakens, Sharknado 5: Global Swarming, The Last Sharknado: It’s About Time, as well as the mockumentary Sharknado: Heart of Sharkness.

In Demand’s Sharknado: The Critics’ Roast comes amid National Geographic’s four-week, 10th annual SharkFest programming stunt currently on-air, and Discovery Channel/Discovery Plus’ Shark Week event which premieres on Sunday (July 24). ■

Broadcasting + Cable's Kent Gibbons and Michael Malone chat about the 2022 Emmy nominations, The Bear on Hulu, Discovery's Shark Week, and more in this edition of Busted Pilot.

Despite the never-ending presence of COVID, the summer tentpole has largely returned to from where it came, the theater. But Netflix has what it hopes will be a big summer blockbuster on its hands with Borne-esque spy thriller The Gray Man. Starring Ryan Gosling, and directed by the Russo Bros., the film was shot with a reported $200 million production budget, making it conspicuous at a time when Netflix is losing subscribers and laying off staff. Netflix, which hoisted an unusually aggressive promotional campaign for The Gray Man, is insisting that it won't cut back on its content ambitions, which are budgeted at around $17 billion this year. But given a Gray Man bomb scenario, one could imagine a paradigm in which Netflix begins to focus more on local productions in growth regions like India, while cutting back on expensive popcorn fare in the U.S and Canada, where it just lost 1.4 million customers in the second quarter. A 52% aggregated critics score for The Gray Man on Rotten Tomatoes tempers our excitement. But arriving Friday on a living room platform that's kind of grandfathered into our monthly credit card bill, that probably won't stop us from checking The Gray Man out on Friday night. Consider that Red Notice, Netflix's biggest movie hit of all time, only scored a 37% fresh rating last year. Like Netflix's stock price, which rebounded nicely this week when Wall Street learned that Netflix hasn't lost as many subscribers as feared, The Gray Man is probably gonna be just fine. 

The Last Movie Stars (HBO Max, July 21)

There really aren’t any current movie stars that resemble Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. The couple not only had looks, talent and charisma, but class, and they stayed married for 50 years. This six-part documentary chronicles Newman and Woodward’s careers as well as their marriage, but not in the traditional bio doc way. Instead, director Ethan Hawke brings the couple to life via transcriptions of interviews with Newman, Woodward, now 92, and their friends and colleagues. Newman, who died in 2008, made the recordings, intending to write a memoir, but decided against it and burned all the audiotapes. The transcripts, however, lived on, and the couple’s children entrusted Hawke with them. Actors including George Clooney, Laura Linney, Oscar Isaac, Melanie Griffith, Sam Rockwell, Billy Crudup, Sally Field, Zoe Kazan, Karen Allen and Steve Zahn read the transcripts throughout the film. The first two episodes of the docuseries were released at the South by Southwest film festival in March and at Cannes in May.  “Delving into their experiences over six engrossing hours, The Last Movie Stars explores how two “high-living, hard-living young warriors,” as Arthur Penn characterized them in their ambitious early days, went on to build a life together.

Rap Sh!t (HBO Max, July 21)

The comedy series follows two estranged Miami high school friends, Shawna (Aida Osman) and Mia (KaMillion), who reunite to form a rap group. The eight-episode series comes from Emmy nominee Issa Rae (Insecure). Rae first gained attention for her web series and subsequent best-selling book, The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl. She created and starred in HBO’s Insecure, which ended in December after five seasons. In addition to multiple Emmy nominations, Rae also garnered several Golden Globe nominations for the show. According to Rae, Rap Sh!t was inspired by “all female rappers that are out right now, from Cardi B to Megan (Thee Stallion) to the City Girls, No Name, Nicki Minaj and Tierra Whack. We took different pieces of their lives and put them through Shawna and Mia’s story.”

The Gray Man (Netflix, July 22)

This action thriller starring Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans is based on Mark Greaney's eponymous 2009 debut novel. Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo (Avengers: End Game), the film follows Court Gentry (Gosling), a Central Intelligence Agency agent who, after uncovering government secrets, is hunted across the globe by a sociopathic rogue operative (Evans). The film, which was released theatrically on July 15, had a $200 million budget making it the most expensive movie to ever be made by Netflix. So far, critics have mixed feelings about The Gray Man, but there is no denying that Jason Bourne fans will take a liking to this film. “Production budgets swell, stock prices go down, but Netflix subscribers are the big winners in this Bond-level summer blockbuster from the Russo brothers,” wrote Variety’s Peter Debruge.

Trying Season 3 (Apple TV Plus, July 22)

This British television comedy first came to Apple TV Plus in 2020 and has since been a  success with American audiences. Created by Andy Wolton, the series follows Nikki (Esther Smith) and Jason (Rafe Spall), a couple who wants a baby but can have one. In the second season, the duo decides to adopt. Whether or not they can handle the responsibilities of parenthood is Season Three's main storyline. “With Esther Smith and Rafe Spall back in delightful form, it would be hard to find a better pair to build a heartwarming comedy around,” wrote IndieWire’s Steve Greene about the show’s second season.

Santa Evita (Hulu, July 26)

This seven-episode original series is based on the best-selling historical novel by Argentine author Tomás Eloy Martínez. The fictionalized series focuses on former First Lady of Argentina Eva Perón and the mystery surrounding the disappearance of her embalmed body in 1955. After she died in 1952, Peron’s corpse was seized by the same military coup that overthrew Peron’s husband, Argentinian President Juan Peron, in 1955. Peron was considered a saint after her death, and her body was hidden for 19 years to prevent it from becoming a symbol against the regime. The series explores how Peron’s wandering unburied corpse haunted Argentines for over two decades. Santa Evita stars Natalia Oreiro as Eva Perón.

We Met in Virtual Reality (HBO Max, July 27)

This bizarre, touching documentary was filmed entirely inside the world of virtual reality (VR). Director Joe Hunting rooted himself in VR communities that exist on the online virtual world platform VRChat and discovered a small group of users who make unexpected connections. Hunting follows a long-distance couple growing their relationships in VR and a sign language teacher dedicated to supporting a welcoming community for deaf and hard-of-hearing VR users. The 90-minute doc premiered in January at The Sundance Film Festival. “Joe Hunting's inventive and touching vérité documentary enters the social VR universe to witness the ways the technology has brought comfort, inclusiveness, and love in an era of discomfort,” wrote RogerEbert.com’s Robert Daniels.

Great White Comeback (Discovery Plus, July 27)

Discovery's Shark Week is back for the 34th year. That’s right. The network has been creating hours and hours of new unscripted shark-oriented programming, unfurling annually over seven July days. Every year celebrities participate in Shark Week, and this year is no different. Johnny Knoxville and Stranger Things’ Noah Schnapp have shark specials that will appear over the course of the week. But arguably, the most interesting program coming out of Shark Week 2022 is Great White Comeback, about the 2017 disappearance of an entire great white shark population in the waters of Seal Island in South Africa. In this special marine biologist, Alison Towner investigates what happened to the missing sharks. Did orcas, which love to dine on shark liver, scare them off, or was it human activity? Shark Week is an important franchise for Discovery, now in a feeding frenzy over what to do with the debt that came along with that $43 billion Warner Bros. Discovery merger. Last year, 21 million viewers tuned into the annual summer franchise. Celebrity-driven programming combined with science-driven specials like Great White Comeback makes its enticing content.

High School Musical: The Musical: The Series – Season 3 (Disney Plus, July 27)

Season 3 of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series follows the Wildcats, a high school drama class, during their time at a California sleep-away camp called Camp Shallow Lake. The show is a behind-the-scenes look at the drama that occurs while trying to put on a high school musical. The third season will follow students as they spend the summer working on a production of the Disney musical Frozen. The show was inspired by the Emmy Award-winning 2005 High School Musical film trilogy that made Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Tisdale stars. In this latest incarnation of the series, Corbin Bleu, an original cast member of the film trilogy, appears as himself in a guest role. Disney Plus has already renewed the series for a fourth season.

B+C has partnered with always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company iSpot.tv to bring you a weekly chart we call Promo Mojo: exclusive data showing TV’s most-promoted programming ranked by ad impressions. Our data covers the seven-day period through July 17.

Discovery’s Shark Week (July 24-31) is No. 1. The previous chart-topper, ABC’s new game show The Final Straw -- executive produced by Peyton Manning and hosted by Janelle James -- drops to second place.

The rest of the chart is dominated by cable networks, with Hallmark Channel giving some love to original romantic movie Campfire Christmas (part of its Christmas in July programming block) in third place, Food Network cooking up excitement for new series BBQ USA in fourth, and TNT hyping the final season of original crime drama Animal Kingdom in fifth.

Notably, Shark Week scores the week’s highest iSpot Attention Index (115), meaning viewers were on average highly likely to watch its promos all the way through (vs. interrupting viewing by changing the channel, pulling up the guide, fast-forwarding or turning off the TV).

1) Shark Week, Discovery

Impressions: 343,139,276

Interruption Rate: 1.17%

Attention Index: 115 (15% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 98%, Local 1%, VOD/OTT 1%

In-network Value: $1,168,917

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $735,202

2) The Final Straw, ABC

Impressions: 221,034,662

Interruption Rate: 1.13%

Attention Index: 100 (0% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 90%, Local 7%, VOD/OTT 3%

In-network Value: $1,151,766

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $415,707

3) Campfire Christmas, Hallmark Channel

Impressions: 203,159,192

Interruption Rate: 3.99%

Attention Index: 110 (10% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 99%, Local 0%, VOD/OTT 1%

In-network Value: $1,038,691

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $236,368

4) BBQ USA, Food Network

Impressions: 187,699,669

Interruption Rate: 1.87%

Attention Index: 96 (4% more interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 99%, Local 0%, VOD/OTT 1%

In-network Value: $671,080

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $221,176

5) Animal Kingdom, TNT

Impressions: 182,874,544

Interruption Rate: 2.10%

Attention Index: 86 (14% more interruptions than avg.)

In-network Value: $505,320

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $491,155

* Data provided by iSpot.tv, TV Ad Measurement for Disruptive Brands *

For more information about Promo Mojo — including the chart positions of promos beyond the top five — contact mediapartnerships@ispot.tv.

Impressions: The total impressions within all U.S. households including National Linear (Live & Time-shifted), VOD plus OTT, and Local.

Attention Score: Measures the propensity of consumers to interrupt an ad play on TV. The higher the score, the more complete views. Actions that interrupt an ad play include changing the channel, pulling up the guide, fast-forwarding or turning off the TV.

Attention Index: Represents the Attention of a specific creative or program placement vs. the average in its respective industry. The average is represented by a score of 100, and the total index range is from 0 through 200. For example, an attention index of 125 means that there are 25% fewer interrupted ad plays compared to the average.

Impression Types: Impression types tracked include National (Live + Time-shifted), Local, VOD & OTT. See below for further details.

In-Network Value: Estimated media value of in-network promos.

Out-of-Network Spend: The estimated amount spent on TV airing time for this promo's spots during a given date range.

National: Live: A national promo which was viewed during live linear television broadcast or same day, via DVR or on-demand.

Local: A promo that was aired during a local ad break slot.

VOD: This includes promos that run in on-demand content past three days (i.e. do not contain the linear promo load).

OTT: On-demand streaming content (i.e. Hulu, Roku, Fire TV Stick, Chromecast). ■

Discovery Channel’s Shark Week has attracted a school of new sponsors to go along with a number of marketers returning to the toothsome annual event, according to Warner Bros. Discovery.

New Shark Week advertisers include Airbnb, Morey’s, Nautica, PNC Bank, Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Brews and Sport Clips.

The new advertisers join returning sponsors GEICO, Gorilla Glue, Jeep brand, Wayfair and Sonic Drive-In.

This year, Shark Week offers crossplatform sponsorship opportunities such as social media campaigns across Instagram, TikTok and Twitter Amplify, as well as on-air elements that include custom vignettes, tagged tune-ins, billboards and in-program messaging. On Discovery Plus, Shark Week is offering pause ads to advertisers. 

“Shark Week’s programming keeps viewers coming back annually while providing our clients with sponsorship opportunities across linear and digital platforms that reach their target consumers wherever and whenever they view content,” Warner Bros. Discovery executive VP, ad sales Scott Kohn said. “We partner with our clients to custom create impactful advertising opportunities based on their overall marketing objectives, and that unique offering has allowed us to generate impressive interest for 2023 sponsorships ahead of the premiere Shark Week 2022.” 

Also: Shark Week to Feature ‘Impractical Jokers’ Guys

Many advertisers are offering customized promotions designed to give their Shark Week sponsorships a bigger bite.

For example, Sonic Drive-Ins will be returning with its Shark Week Slush, a big hit last year. The special concoction will be available at participating Sonic locations through July 31. 

“Sonic is thrilled to bring back our Shark Week Slush for the second summer in a row and help fans take a bigger bite — or sip —out of Shark Week,” Mackenzie Gibson, VP of culinary & menu innovation at Sonic, said. “By layering our tropical, blue coconut Slush with real, juicy strawberries and shark gummy candies, our culinary team has created a tasty and visually thrilling treat that will mentally transport guests to their favorite oceanside destination. Just be sure to look out for sharks before diving in!” 

Sonic donates a portion of its proceeds from drink sales to support local public schools through Limeades for Learning.

Jeep will be doing a Shark Week sweepstakes. The grand prize is a shark dive trip for two from Islander Charters and $20,000 cash. Fans can enter through August 12 at sharkweek.com/sweeps.

Shark Week has been a pop-culture phenomenon for 34 years. For the first time, Shark Week has a master of ceremonies, with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson stepping into the ring.

Shark Week 2022 features 25 hours of programming that starts on July 24 and takes viewers to new locations from the Exuma Islands in the Bahamas to Papua, New Guinea.

Programming will spotlight innovative technology and research in exciting new series and specials, new species and never-before-seen footage of walking sharks and other predators captured on-camera by field teams.

With the formation of Warner Bros. Discovery, TBS, TNT, truTV, Food Network, HGTV, CNN, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Animal Planet, Science Channel, ID, OWN, TCM, Discovery Plus and HBO Max are all involved in Shark Week. ■

Shark Week begins on Discovery and Discovery Plus Sunday, July 24. It is the 34th year of Shark Week. New locations include the Exuma Islands in the Bahamas and Papua New Guinea, and the week features a visit from the stars of Impractical Jokers. 

“The week spotlights innovative shark technology and research to find breakthrough information on these elusive creatures and their mating and migration patterns in addition to the findings of a new, undescribed species,” according to Discovery. 

Staten Island comedy troupe the Tenderloins makes up the Impractical Jokers cast. The truTV series features hidden-camera comedy bits. It has had nine seasons. 

Discovery has not yet shared the schedule for Shark Week this summer. 

Warner Bros. Discovery was hatched earlier this year after the merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery Inc. Discovery Channel and truTV are part of Warner Bros. Discovery. ■

Octopus Interactive, which runs ads on screens inside Uber and Lyft vehicles, mounted a campaign using Discovery’s Shark Week to promote the Philo streaming TV service.

The campaign, which used Octopus’ new Tune in Takeover interactive video format, served up 3.5 million impressions to riders.

Some of those riders bit on the campaign and followed up for more information about Philo, which carries more than 60 channels, including Discovery, for $25 per month.

Also Read: Verizon Media Pushes Shark Week With Augmented Reality Campaign

“We’re very pleased with the high click-through rates and engagement we’ve seen by leveraging rideshare advertising and using the Octopus ‘Tune in Takeover’,” said Emily Mosbacher, director of brand and partner marketing at Philo. “Octopus puts Philo in front of rideshare passengers and potential customers and allows them to interact with Philo and our content. We’re thrilled to build brand awareness through Octopus and are already planning our next campaign with their team.”

The Philo campaign ran July 12 through July 18 in 42 markets. 

Octopus’ Tune in Takeover format lets passengers select from a variety of short preview videos from media advertisers.

For the Philo promotion, passengers could watch Shark Week content featuring different species, such as makos, porbeagles or great whites.

“Our new ‘Tune in Takeover’ ad format for media advertisers gives rideshare passengers the opportunity to lean back and enjoy extended content of their choosing,” said Mikea Granberry, director of business development at Octopus. “Rideshare advertising delivers a captive, desirable audience, and we’re thrilled with the results we’re seeing with Philo and our other media partners.”

B&C has partnered with always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company iSpot.tv to bring you a weekly chart we call Promo Mojo: exclusive data showing the top five TV promos ranked by ad impressions. Our data covers the 7-day period through July 25.

It’s no surprise that a promo for the Tokyo Summer Olympics, airing across the networks of NBCUniversal, tops our Promo Mojo ranker for a second week in a row — this time racking up more than 668 million TV ad impressions in the week ended July 25.

Hallmark Channel takes second place to hype the series finale of Good Witch, while CBS shows some love for Love Island in third and Big Brother in fourth. Closing out the top five, TV Land promotes the final season of its original comedy-drama Younger.

Notably, the Younger spot has this week’s highest iSpot Attention Index (112), meaning viewers were on average highly likely to watch it all the way through (vs. interrupting it by changing the channel, pulling up the guide, fast-forwarding or turning off the TV).

1) Tokyo Summer Olympics, NBCUniversal networks

Impressions: 668,878,966

Interruption Rate: 2.84%

Attention Index: 99 (1% more interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 87%, Local 12%, VOD/OTT 1%

In-network Value: $3,689,123

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $814,338

2)  Good Witch, Hallmark Channel

Impressions: 229,857,436

Interruption Rate: 6.53%

Attention Index: 105 (5% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 99%, Local 1%, VOD/OTT 0%

In-network Value: $1,169,674

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $0.00

3) Love Island, CBS

Impressions: 222,052,593

Interruption Rate: 2.63%

Attention Index: 102 (2% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 96%, Local 3%, VOD/OTT 1%

In-network Value: $1,942,904

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $0.00

4) Big Brother, CBS

Impressions: 186,536,056

Interruption Rate: 2.90%

Attention Index: 98 (2% more interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 93%, Local 6%, VOD/OTT 1%

In-network Value: $888,799

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $0.00

5) Younger, TV Land

Impressions: 182,518,537

Interruption Rate: 2.17%

Attention Index: 112 (12% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 76%, Local 22%, VOD/OTT 2%

In-network Value: $745,709

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $0.00

*Data provided by iSpot.tv, TV Ad Measurement for Disruptive Brands*

Impressions - The total impressions within all US households including National Linear (Live & Time-shifted), VOD+OTT, and Local.

Attention Score - Measures the propensity of consumers to interrupt an ad play on TV. The higher the score, the more complete views. Actions that interrupt an ad play include changing the channel, pulling up the guide, fast-forwarding or turning off the TV.

Attention Index - Represents the Attention of a specific creative or program placement vs. the average in its respective industry. The average is represented by a score of 100, and the total index range is from 0 through 200. For example, an attention index of 125 means that there are 25% fewer interrupted ad plays compared to the average.

Imp. Types - Impression types tracked include National (Live + Time-shifted), Local, VOD & OTT. See below for further details.

In-network Value - Estimated media value of in-network promos.

Out-of-network Spend - The estimated amount spent on TV airing time for this promo's spots during a given date range.

National: Live - A national promo which was viewed during live linear television broadcast or same day, via DVR or on-demand.

Local - A promo that was aired during a local ad break slot.

VOD - This includes promos that run in on-demand content past three days (i.e. do not contain the linear promo load)

OTT - On-demand streaming content (i.e. Hulu, Roku, Fire TV Stick, Chromecast).

Discovery and Verizon Media are bringing sharks closer to viewers with an augmented reality Shark Week campaign aimed at driving viewers to Discovery Plus.

The programmatic campaign, Shark Week IRL is built around AR filters for Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook that put the underwater predators into the viewers' surroundings.

Verizon was a launch partner for Discovery Plus in January and helped generate subscriptions via programmatic ad campaigns across display, mobile, video, Xbox, digital out of home and connected TV. 

Also Read: Devour, T-Mobile, Sonic, Vrbo New Shark Week Sponsors

Discovery was also one of the first brands to use Verizon Media’s TV tune-in attribution product, which launched last year.

The AR filters are being promoted through a multi channel campaign executed in display, mobile, video, CTV and digital out-of-home through Verizon Media’s demand side platform. The ads include a QR code that helps users download the lenses. 

Verizon Media says 85 million people in the U.S. are expected to use AR this year. Members of Gen Z are particularly expected to point their phones and unlock additional layers of content.

Also Read: Shark Week Spawns Everything From Cupcakes to Underwear

“The past year has unlocked new consumer demand for branded experiences that are more immersive, innovative and interactive,” said Iván Markman, chief business officer at Verizon Media. “Hybrid reality experiences’ value has accelerated, further bridging the physical and digital divide, and bringing branded experiences to consumers wherever they are. We’re proud to partner with Discovery for yet another iconic Shark Week summer event.”

Verizon is in the process of selling Verizon Media to Apollo Global Management for $5 billion.

As part of the campaign, native AR ad units also ran across Verizon Media’s premium owned and operated properties like Yahoo. AR for programmatic requires unique creative and Verizon Media’s in-house creative agency was tapped to re-code and optimize the AR creative to be able to run broadly, and programmatically, across channels and platforms, extending reach and visibility. 

“The campaign is a great example of AR advertising’s evolution - it’s accelerating as an ad format through programmatic,” said Markman. “With access to programmatic platforms, like the Verizon Media DSP, brands can now execute AR advertising at scale, while ensuring data-driven targeting and performance.”

B&C has partnered with always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company iSpot.tv to bring you a weekly chart we call Promo Mojo: exclusive data showing the top five TV promos ranked by ad impressions. Our data covers the 7-day period through July 18.

NBC tops our ranking with a promo for the Tokyo Summer Olympics that racked up more than half a billion TV ad impressions. Fellow traditional broadcasters CBS and ABC follow in second and third place to promote, respectively, Love Island and the 2021 NBA Finals.

The previous chart-topping promo, for Discovery’s Shark Week, drops to fourth place. 

Closing out the top five, HGTV builds excitement for Battle on the Beach.

Notably, the Shark Week spot has this week’s highest iSpot Attention Index (126), meaning viewers were on average highly likely to watch it all the way through (vs. interrupting it by changing the channel, pulling up the guide, fast-forwarding or turning off the TV).

1) Tokyo Summer Olympics, NBC

Impressions: 549,084,028

Interruption Rate: 2.16%

Attention Index: 104 (4% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 89%, Local 9%, VOD/OTT 2%

In-network Value: $3,417,056

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $155,164

2) Love Island, CBS

Impressions: 280,827,851

Interruption Rate: 2.37%

Attention Index: 100 (0% more interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 92%, Local 6%, VOD/OTT 2%

In-network Value: $2,123,147

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $0.00

3) 2021 NBA Finals, ABC

Impressions: 220,840,887

Interruption Rate: 1.24%

Attention Index: 111 (11% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 93%, Local 6%, VOD/OTT 1%

In-network Value: $3,407,784

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $250,536

4) Shark Week, Discovery

mpressions: 218,069,987

Interruption Rate: 1.37%

Attention Index: 126 (26% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 96%, Local 3%, VOD/OTT 1%

In-network Value: $642,404

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $239,485

5) Battle on the Beach, HGTV

Impressions: 214,442,322

Interruption Rate: 1.17%

Attention Index: 105 (5% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 99%, Local 0%, VOD/OTT 1%

In-network Value: $664,895

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $0.00

*Data provided by iSpot.tv, TV Ad Measurement for Disruptive Brands*

Impressions - The total impressions within all US households including National Linear (Live & Time-shifted), VOD+OTT, and Local.

Attention Score - Measures the propensity of consumers to interrupt an ad play on TV. The higher the score, the more complete views. Actions that interrupt an ad play include changing the channel, pulling up the guide, fast-forwarding or turning off the TV.

Attention Index - Represents the Attention of a specific creative or program placement vs. the average in its respective industry. The average is represented by a score of 100, and the total index range is from 0 through 200. For example, an attention index of 125 means that there are 25% fewer interrupted ad plays compared to the average.

Imp. Types - Impression types tracked include National (Live + Time-shifted), Local, VOD & OTT. See below for further details.

In-network Value - Estimated media value of in-network promos.

Out-of-network Spend - The estimated amount spent on TV airing time for this promo's spots during a given date range.

National: Live - A national promo which was viewed during live linear television broadcast or same day, via DVR or on-demand.

Local - A promo that was aired during a local ad break slot.

VOD - This includes promos that run in on-demand content past three days (i.e. do not contain the linear promo load)

OTT - On-demand streaming content (i.e. Hulu, Roku, Fire TV Stick, Chromecast).

B&C has partnered with always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company iSpot.tv to bring you a weekly chart we call Promo Mojo: exclusive data showing the top five TV promos ranked by ad impressions. Our data covers the 7-day period through July 11.

On the strength of 385.5 million TV ad impressions, a Discovery promo for Shark Week tops our chart.

Traditional broadcasters sweep the next three spots: CBS gives some love to Love Island in second, NBC sets the stage for the Tokyo Summer Olympics in third, and ABC promotes the NBA Finals in fourth.

Closing out the top five, TNT hypes the fifth season of its original drama Animal Kingdom.

Notably, the Shark Week spot has this week’s highest iSpot Attention Index (109), meaning viewers were on average highly likely to watch it all the way through (vs. interrupting it by changing the channel, pulling up the guide, fast-forwarding or turning off the TV).

1) Shark Week, Discovery

Impressions: 385,503,136

Interruption Rate: 1.52%

Attention Index: 109 (9% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 97%, Local 2%, VOD/OTT 1%

In-network Value: $1,179,241

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $394,406

2) Love Island, CBS

Impressions: 279,083,496

Interruption Rate: 2.50%

Attention Index: 106 (6% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 92%, Local 6%, VOD/OTT 2%

In-network Value: $1,818,531

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $53,838

3) Tokyo Summer Olympics, NBC

Impressions: 274,385,379

Interruption Rate: 1.95%

Attention Index: 101 (1% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 90%, Local 8%, VOD/OTT 2%

In-network Value: $1,838,356

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $2,318

4) NBA Finals, ABC

Impressions: 238,583,625

Interruption Rate: 1.82%

Attention Index: 98 (2% more interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 96%, Local 3%, VOD/OTT 1%

In-network Value: $4,942,549

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $349,528

5) Animal Kingdom, TNT

Impressions: 198,282,269

Interruption Rate: 3.42%

Attention Index: 85 (15% more interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 93%, Local 5%, VOD/OTT 2%

In-network Value: $669,806

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $600,772

*Data provided by iSpot.tv, TV Ad Measurement for Disruptive Brands*

Impressions - The total impressions within all US households including National Linear (Live & Time-shifted), VOD+OTT, and Local.

Attention Score - Measures the propensity of consumers to interrupt an ad play on TV. The higher the score, the more complete views. Actions that interrupt an ad play include changing the channel, pulling up the guide, fast-forwarding or turning off the TV.

Attention Index - Represents the Attention of a specific creative or program placement vs. the average in its respective industry. The average is represented by a score of 100, and the total index range is from 0 through 200. For example, an attention index of 125 means that there are 25% fewer interrupted ad plays compared to the average.

Imp. Types - Impression types tracked include National (Live + Time-shifted), Local, VOD & OTT. See below for further details.

In-network Value - Estimated media value of in-network promos.

Out-of-network Spend - The estimated amount spent on TV airing time for this promo's spots during a given date range.

National: Live - A national promo which was viewed during live linear television broadcast or same day, via DVR or on-demand.

Local - A promo that was aired during a local ad break slot.

VOD - This includes promos that run in on-demand content past three days (i.e. do not contain the linear promo load)

OTT - On-demand streaming content (i.e. Hulu, Roku, Fire TV Stick, Chromecast).

With Discovery Plus pitching in for the first time, Discovery Channel’s Shark Week is the largest in the 33-year history of the summer stunt. Discovery and Discovery Plus offer 45 hours of shark programming this year.  

Shark Week kicked off July 11 and continues through July 18. The streaming channel gives Discovery a chance to reach a new audience, and a younger one, according to Howard Swartz, senior VP of documentaries and specials/factual networks and streaming. “We can take chances with the content we put on Discovery Plus,” he said. “We can reach different audiences and we can reach new audiences.”

Discovery Plus offers two shark documentaries. Envoy: Shark Cull is centered on some big names in ocean conservation revealing the importance of sharks in our oceans. Eric Bana narrates. Fin sees director Eli Roth and a group of scientists, researchers and activists sail around the globe to investigate the death of millions of sharks, exposing a criminal enterprise. Executive producers include Leonardo DiCaprio, Nina Dobrev and Craig Piligian. 

Other highlights include Air Jaws: Going for Gold, which shows the Air Jaws team at Seal Rock to capture the highest breach ever recorded; MotherSharker, which sees a team of scientists investigate where tiger sharks give birth; Great White Comeback, which looks into why great whites disappeared from South Africa; and Mega Jaws of Bird Island, also a look at great whites around South Africa. 

“Great whites are such the stars of Shark Week,” said Swartz. 

Celeb specials include Tiffany Haddish Does Shark Week; Jackass Shark Week, with Johnny Knoxville and Steve-O; Brad Paisley’s Shark Country; and Dr. Pimple Popper Pops Shark Week. 

Shark Week also features a couple of film festivals: one centered on Sharknado on Discovery Plus, and another featuring the Jaws movies on Discovery. Sharknado stars Ian Ziering and Tara Reid host The Real Sharknado on Discovery July 14, looking into whether some of the things that happened in the Sharknado movies could ever happen in real life. 

Everything that airs on Discovery will be available on Discovery Plus. 

Unrelated to Shark Week, National Geographic kicked off Sharkfest July 5, offering 21 hours of new premieres and 60 hours of what it calls “enhanced content.”

Swartz said Shark Week might be just what viewers are looking for after a rough year-plus. “It’s a little bit of escapism with content like this because the news was so bleak in 2020 and into 2021,” he said. “These animals, for me, have a re-enchanting-the-world quality. Their awe and wonder and beauty are so magnificent. They’re so entertaining, so fun and so full of adventure, and we think audiences really respond to that.” 

Discovery has signed up a number of marketing partners to help promote Shark Week with their own Shark Week products and stunts.

In Los Angeles, fans can bring their cars to the La Cienega Car Wash and Oil Change for an immersive Shark Week car wash experience July 9th through July 11th, and Southwest Airline passengers will be able to watch a special Shark Week TV Series Channel on Southwest’s inflight entertainment portal. 

Also Read: Discovery Shares Shark Week Plans

Great Clips will have co-branded Shark Week signage in its hair salons and will have a co-branded TV commercial running on Discovery Channel starting this week.

And Georgetown Cupcake will mark the event with a Shark Week Dozen, featuring four Shark Fin Vanilla cupcakes topped with ocean blue buttercream, sparkling blue sanding sugar, and fondant shark fins, two Shark Vanilla cupcakes topped with ocean blue buttercream, sparkling blue sanding sugar, and fondant disk featuring three sharks, two  Chocolate & Sunshine Yellow Vanilla Buttercream cupcakes with shark head fondant, and four Chocolate & Vanilla Buttercream cupcakes with Shark Week logo fondant. They will be available in stores and for nationwide shipping through July 31.

Also Read: Devour, T-Mobile, Sonic, Vrbo New Shark Week Sponsors

Other partners include Beneath the Waves, Oceana, Ocean Conservancy, Wilson, Nautica, Casely, MeUndies, American Red Cross, Pooch Perks, Ubisoft and The Paley Center for Media.

“Our marketing partnerships are an integral part of our annual Shark Week celebration. They extend our reach, allow our superfans to experience the brand in new ways and most important of all, benefit sharks and ocean conservation,” said senior VP of marketing Josh Kovolenko.

This year, the first ever Shark Week blimp will be floating ominously above the East Coast. The 128-foot long airship will take off from Nashville this week and travel around through July 20.

Biossance is promoting its skincare products, which are based on squalane, a substance made from sugarcane that replaces ingredients used by other companies that is made from shark livers. The moisturizer saves more than 2 million shark from being hunted and killed each year.

Also Read: Tubi Dives Into Shark-Infested Waters with Its Own Bitefest

Wilson is creating Shark Week volleyball that will be available exclusively at wilson.com. A portion of the proceeds support Beneath the Waves, a conservation group.

Nautica is producing an interactive poll that will enable its Instagram audience ot pick their favorite shark. That shark will be featured on a Sustainably Crafted t-shirt and hat. Nautica will also match all consumer donations to Oceana via its Give Change to Make Change Round-up Program.

MeUndies will be coming out with undies and loungewear featuring a limited edition Shark Bite design. Fans using SharkWeek as a promo code will get 25% off. Followers of the company’s Instagram and Twitter handles will also find trivia, games and memes that will teach them more about sharks.

Casely, a tech accessory retailer, is creating a limited-edition shark-themed iPhone case. A portion of the profits for July will be donated to BeneathThe Waves.

Pooch Perks will have an exclusive Pampered Pooch box of dog toys, treats and accessories following the Shark Week theme. Shark Week pet items are also available for purchase on the company’s website.

Ubisoft is designing and developing a Shark Week integration within its Hungry Shark Evolution game. It is also building a Shark Week themed loading screen and tune-in messages that will run in Hungry Shark Evolution and Hungry Shark World.

The American Red Cross is running a Shark Week is in Your Blood promotion to encourage donations in July. Appointments can be made at rcblood.org/Shark.

The Paley Center for Media will have a salute to Shark Week on its website featuring top moments from Shark Week since it started in 1988.

Discovery is also working with Oceana to help protect sharks, Beneath the Waves to promote conservation of biodiversity and Ocean Conservancy to promote safe beach cleanups.

Shark Week fans can test Shark to 707070 to support Discovery’s Shark Week fund through the Pledge platform by contributing to Oceana, Beneath the Waves and Ocean Conservancy.

Zoom is making Shark Week backgrounds featuring text-to-donate links.

Shark Week will be running July 11 through July 18 on Discovery and Discovery Plus.

Looking to chomp down on Discovery’s popular annual Shark Week, Fox’s streaming service Tubi is planning its own Shark Month: Bitefest stunt for August.

The free, ad supported service will feature 70 shark films during the month, including the entire Jaws franchise.

The centerpiece of Tubi’s Bitefest is Swim, billed as a New Tubi Summer Original Movie.

Swim, from the producers of Sharknado, stars Joey Lawrence in the story of a family whose vacation rental gets flooded by a storm and has to move to higher and higher floors to escape a hungry shark.

Also starring in the film are Jennifer Field, Andy Lauer and Rib Hillis. The director is Jared Cohn, who also helmed Shark Season, which apparently won’t be part of Bitefest.

Some of the other titles available during Bitefest are DinoShark, Sharktopus, Swamp Shark, Jurassic Shark, Psycho Shark, Shark in Venice, Baby Shark: Nursery Rhymes & Kids Songs, Dam Sharks and Raiders of the Lost Shark.  

The 33rd edition of Discovery’s Shark Week will run July 11-18. National Geographic also hosts a shark stunt this year with Sharkfest starting July 5.

Shark Week, happening July 11-18 on Discovery and Discovery Plus, offers 45 hours of shark programming, the most in the summer event’s 33 years. 

Shark Academy premieres Sunday, July 11 on Discovery Plus, as does Josh Gates Tonight. Air Jaws: Going For Gold, about the highest shark breach ever recorded, is on Discovery July 12. Great White Comeback, about great whites disappearing in South Africa, is on Discovery Plus July 13. 

“Great whites are such the stars of Shark Week,” said Howard Swartz, senior VP of documentaries and specials/factual networks and streaming, Discovery. 

MotherSharker, about where tiger sharks give birth, premieres on Discovery July 13. 

Both Discovery and Discovery Plus will feature shark movie festivals, the streaming network offering the Sharknado movies, among others, and starting July 1. Beginning July 10, Discovery will air various Jaws movies along with Animal Planet. 

Shark Week features two documentaries, both on Discovery Plus. Envoy: Shark Cull, narrated by Eric Bana and gathering big names in ocean conservation to share about the importance of sharks in our oceans, premieres July 1. 

Director Eli Roth is behind Fin, which sees him and a group of scientists, researchers and activists sail around the globe to investigate the millions of shark deaths, exposing a criminal enterprise. That premieres July 13. Leonardo DiCaprio, Nina Dobrev and Craig Piligian are executive producers. 

Celebrities jumping into the water for Shark Week programming include Tiffany Haddish, Brad Paisley, Noah Schnapp, William Shatner, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Sandra Lee of Dr. Pimple Popper fame, and the Jackass cast, including Johnny Knoxville. 

Discovery is promoting Shark Week with a blimp. The airship takes off from Nashville in early July and travels up and down the East Coast through July 20. 

Discovery said that Devour, T-Mobile, Sonic Drive-in and Vrbo are among the new advertisers taking a bite out of Shark Week.

Shark Week, one of Discovery networks’ biggest attractions, will run from July 11 through July 18. It will also stream on Discovery Plus.

Returning sponsors included Cooper Tires, Wayfair, Geico, The Gorilla Glue Company and The Home Depot.

“I am so proud that after more than 30 years of Shark Week, we continue to innovate and provide unique sponsorships and organic opportunities for clients to communicate to our highly engaged audience,” said Scott Kohn, executive VP, ad sales at Discovery, Inc. “We are thrilled with the creative and custom sponsorships that will seamlessly complement this year's Shark Week programming across all of our linear and digital properties, including the very first Shark Week on Discovery Plus.”

Devour Frozen Foods will introduce viewers to Trevor, a Shark Week and Devour fan, who will have a presence in custom multi-platform content throughout Shark Week. Consumers will follow Trevor throughout Shark Week and have the chance to participate in a Shark Week-themed sweepstakes.

Sonic Drive-In is sponsoring linear and digital elements including integrations in Josh Gates Tonight and the Discovery Plus mid-form series Daily Bite. Sonic is also offering a Shark Week Slush, layered with Blue Coconut Slush, real fruit strawberries and topped with two Shark gummies, from June 28 through August 1, while supplies last at participating drive-ins. 

T-Mobile has engaged shark experts Joe and Lauren Romeiro on a migration expedition. Viewers can watch on Shark Week linear, social and streaming platforms.

Vrbo will have tagged tune-ins, in-program messaging, custom billboards and a Nature Minute, on linear. It will also have Shark News offer on social platforms along with custom ads and editorial Instagram stories, as well as on Discovery Go. 

Shark Week starts on Discovery July 11 and runs through July 18. It is the 33rd year of the shark celebration. With Discovery Plus pitching in, Discovery promises the most Shark Week programs ever. 

A programming schedule for Shark Week is not yet available, but Discovery said a shark movie festival will happen across the Discovery platforms leading up to Shark Week. 

Discovery’s first-ever shark series, Shark Academy, will premiere during Shark Week on Discovery Plus. The series follows eight men and women who will compete to secure a coveted crew spot on shark scientist Dr. Riley Elliott’s next shark diving expedition. 

New wrinkles to 2021 Shark Week programming include bull shark hunting behavior, the first ever look down the gullet of a giant tiger shark, and the highest recorded breach of a great white. William Shatner, Tiffany Haddish, Brad Paisley and the cast of Jackass are among the celebrities jumping into the water to spend quality time with sharks. 

In a separate shark stunt, National Geographic hosts Sharkfest starting July 5. 

B&C has partnered with always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company iSpot.tv to bring you a weekly chart we call Promo Mojo: exclusive data showing the top five TV promos ranked by ad impressions. Our data covers the seven-day period through Aug. 16.

On the strength of 477.2 million TV ad impressions, a Discovery promo for Shark Week is No. 1 for the second week in a row. The network also takes third place to promote new show Dodgeball Thunderdome, while in fourth place Discovery and its sister networks — including HGTV, Food Network, OWN and TLC — get some love (“Whatever you’re into, it’s on the Discovery family of networks,” an announcer says).

Rounding out the ranking: MTV, which plugs the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards in second place, and TLC, which hypes new reality series Darcey & Stacey in fifth.

Notably, the Dodgeball Thunderdome spot has the highest iSpot Attention Score (96.07) in our ranking, meaning viewers were on average more likely to watch it all the way through (vs. interrupting it by changing the channel, pulling up the guide, fast-forwarding or turning off the TV).

1) Shark Week, Discovery

Impressions: 477,248,256

Attention Score: 94.20

Attention Index: 109 (9% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 96%, Local 3%, VOD/OTT 1%

In-network Value: $2,340,634

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $234,813

2) 2020 MTV Video Music Awards, MTV

Impressions: 283,794,681

Attention Score: 93.44

Attention Index: 97 (3% more interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 82%, Local 17%, VOD/OTT 1%

In-network Value: $2,653,250

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $0.00

3) Dodgeball Thunderdome, Discovery

Impressions: 229,382,252

Attention Score: 96.07

Attention Index: 138 (38% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 97%, Local 2%, VOD/OTT 1%

In-network Value: $1,577,538

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $114,639

4) Discovery family of networks, Discovery Inc.

Impressions: 216,307,984

Attention Score: 95.83

Attention Index: 135 (35% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 97%, Local 1%, VOD/OTT 2%

In-network Value: $885,004

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $0.00

5) Darcey & Stacey, TLC

Impressions: 210,121,749

Attention Score: 93.39

Attention Index: 96 (4% more interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 84%, Local 15%, VOD/OTT 1%

In-network Value: $694,031

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $335,664

*Data provided by iSpot.tv, TV Ad Measurement for Disruptive Brands*

Impressions - The total impressions within all US households including National Linear (Live & Time-shifted), VOD+OTT, and Local.

Attention Score - Measures the propensity of consumers to interrupt an ad play on TV. The higher the score, the more complete views. Actions that interrupt an ad play include changing the channel, pulling up the guide, fast-forwarding or turning off the TV.

Attention Index - Represents the Attention of a specific creative or program placement vs. the average in its respective industry. The average is represented by a score of 100, and the total index range is from 0 through 200. For example, an attention index of 125 means that there are 25% fewer interrupted ad plays compared to the average.

Imp. Types - Impression types tracked include National (Live + Time-shifted), Local, VOD & OTT. See below for further details.

In-network Value - Estimated media value of in-network promos.

Out-of-network Spend - The estimated amount spent on TV airing time for this promo's spots during a given date range.

National: Live - A national promo which was viewed during live linear television broadcast or same day, via DVR or on-demand.

Local - A promo that was aired during a local ad break slot.

VOD - This includes promos that run in on-demand content past three days (i.e. do not contain the linear promo load)

OTT - On-demand streaming content (i.e. Hulu, Roku, Fire TV Stick, Chromecast).

B&C has partnered with always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company iSpot.tv to bring you a weekly chart we call Promo Mojo: exclusive data showing the top five TV promos ranked by ad impressions. This is the programming the networks have been promoting most heavily to drive tune-in (our data covers the seven-day period through June 21).

On the strength of 400.8 million TV ad impressions, a promo for Paramount Network’s Kevin Costner-led drama Yellowstone is number one.

Cable networks once again dominate our ranking, with Paramount joined by Nickelodeon, which promotes a Loud House/The Casagrandes marathon; Disney Channel, which declares that “We stand for humanity” in a spot that calls attention to its support of Black Lives Matter; CNN, with its continuing “Facts First” campaign; and HGTV, which hypes its new series Design at Your Door. 

Notably, the Nick spot has the highest iSpot Attention Index (148) in our ranking, getting 48% fewer interruptions than the average promo (interruptions include changing the channel, pulling up the guide, fast-forwarding or turning off the TV).

1) Yellowstone, Paramount Network

Impressions: 400,834,587

Attention Score: 90.37

Attention Index: 61 (39% more interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 88%, Local 10%, VOD/OTT 2%

In-network Value: $2,786,534

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $1,862,304

2)  The Casagrandes | The Loud House, Nickelodeon

Impressions: 194,084,113

Attention Score: 96.92

Attention Index: 148 (48% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 98%, Local 1%, VOD/OTT 1%

In-network Value: $8,154,589

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $8,591

3) Black Lives Matter, Disney Channel

Impressions: 187,809,450

Attention Score: 95.81

Attention Index: 129 (29% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 97%, Local 1%, VOD/OTT 2%

In-network Value: $1,498,207

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $0.00

4) Facts First, CNN

Impressions: 163,355,103

Attention Score: 96.54

Attention Index: 141 (41% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 98%, Local 1%, VOD/OTT 1%

In-network Value: $541,288

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $0.00

5) Design at Your Door, HGTV

Impressions: 161,075,572

Attention Score: 96.08

Attention Index: 133 (33% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 100%, Local 0%, VOD/OTT 0%

In-network Value: $1,012,996

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $0.00

B&C has partnered with always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company iSpot.tv to bring you a weekly chart we call Promo Mojo: exclusive data showing the top five TV promos ranked by ad impressions. This is the programming the networks have been promoting most heavily to drive tune-in (our data covers the seven-day period through June 21).

On the strength of 400.8 million TV ad impressions, a promo for Paramount Network’s Kevin Costner-led drama Yellowstone is number one.

Cable networks once again dominate our ranking, with Paramount joined by Nickelodeon, which promotes a Loud House/The Casagrandes marathon; Disney Channel, which declares that “We stand for humanity” in a spot that calls attention to its support of Black Lives Matter; CNN, with its continuing “Facts First” campaign; and HGTV, which hypes its new series Design at Your Door. 

Notably, the Nick spot has the highest iSpot Attention Index (148) in our ranking, getting 48% fewer interruptions than the average promo (interruptions include changing the channel, pulling up the guide, fast-forwarding or turning off the TV).

1) Yellowstone, Paramount Network

Impressions: 400,834,587

Attention Score: 90.37

Attention Index: 61 (39% more interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 88%, Local 10%, VOD/OTT 2%

In-network Value: $2,786,534

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $1,862,304

2)  The Casagrandes | The Loud House, Nickelodeon

Impressions: 194,084,113

Attention Score: 96.92

Attention Index: 148 (48% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 98%, Local 1%, VOD/OTT 1%

In-network Value: $8,154,589

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $8,591

3) Black Lives Matter, Disney Channel

Impressions: 187,809,450

Attention Score: 95.81

Attention Index: 129 (29% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 97%, Local 1%, VOD/OTT 2%

In-network Value: $1,498,207

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $0.00

4) Facts First, CNN

Impressions: 163,355,103

Attention Score: 96.54

Attention Index: 141 (41% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 98%, Local 1%, VOD/OTT 1%

In-network Value: $541,288

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $0.00

5) Design at Your Door, HGTV

Impressions: 161,075,572

Attention Score: 96.08

Attention Index: 133 (33% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 100%, Local 0%, VOD/OTT 0%

In-network Value: $1,012,996

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $0.00

B&C has partnered with always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company iSpot.tv to bring you a weekly chart we call Promo Mojo: exclusive data showing the top five TV promos ranked by ad impressions. Our data covers the seven-day period through Aug. 9.

On the strength of 552.8 million TV ad impressions, a Discovery promo for Shark Week is No. 1. The network also takes second place for a show-specific promo for Tyson vs. Jaws.

Once again, our ranking is entirely dominated by cable networks, with Discovery joined by HGTV, which promotes Christina on the Coast; Reelz, which hypes Autopsy; and MTV, which gives some love to Catfish.

Notably, the Autopsy spot has the highest iSpot Attention Score (95.85) in our ranking, meaning viewers were on average more likely to watch it all the way through (vs. interrupting it by changing the channel, pulling up the guide, fast-forwarding or turning off the TV).

1) Shark Week, Discovery

Impressions: 552,828,809

Attention Score: 94.43

Attention Index: 116 (16% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 82%, Local 17%, VOD/OTT 1%

In-network Value: $2,798,092

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $464,801

2) Tyson vs. Jaws, Discovery

Impressions: 357,204,649

Attention Score: 94.65

Attention Index: 119 (19% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 95%, Local 4%, VOD/OTT 1%

In-network Value: $677,171

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $958,527

3) Christina on the Coast, HGTV

Impressions: 272,266,878

Attention Score: 95.41

Attention Index: 130 (30% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 97%, Local 2%, VOD/OTT 1%

In-network Value: $1,504,490

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $0.00

4) Autopsy, Reelz Channel

Impressions: 254,092,028

Attention Score: 95.85

Attention Index: 137 (37% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 48%, Local 51%, VOD/OTT 1%

In-network Value: $104,540

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $1,074,028

5) Catfish, MTV

Impressions: 206,816,340

Attention Score: 94.02

Attention Index: 109 (9% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 83%, Local 16%, VOD/OTT 1%

In-network Value: $1,825,637

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $432,196

*Data provided by iSpot.tv, TV Ad Measurement for Disruptive Brands*

Impressions - The total impressions within all US households including National Linear (Live & Time-shifted), VOD+OTT, and Local.

Attention Score - Measures the propensity of consumers to interrupt an ad play on TV. The higher the score, the more complete views. Actions that interrupt an ad play include changing the channel, pulling up the guide, fast-forwarding or turning off the TV.

Attention Index - Represents the Attention of a specific creative or program placement vs. the average in its respective industry. The average is represented by a score of 100, and the total index range is from 0 through 200. For example, an attention index of 125 means that there are 25% fewer interrupted ad plays compared to the average.

Imp. Types - Impression types tracked include National (Live + Time-shifted), Local, VOD & OTT. See below for further details.

In-network Value - Estimated media value of in-network promos.

Out-of-network Spend - The estimated amount spent on TV airing time for this promo's spots during a given date range.

National: Live - A national promo which was viewed during live linear television broadcast or same day, via DVR or on-demand.

Local - A promo that was aired during a local ad break slot.

VOD - This includes promos that run in on-demand content past three days (i.e. do not contain the linear promo load)

OTT - On-demand streaming content (i.e. Hulu, Roku, Fire TV Stick, Chromecast).

B&C has partnered with always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company iSpot.tv to bring you a weekly chart we call Promo Mojo: exclusive data showing the top five TV promos ranked by ad impressions. This is the programming the networks have been promoting most heavily to drive tune-in (our data covers the seven-day period through June 21).

On the strength of 400.8 million TV ad impressions, a promo for Paramount Network’s Kevin Costner-led drama Yellowstone is number one.

Cable networks once again dominate our ranking, with Paramount joined by Nickelodeon, which promotes a Loud House/The Casagrandes marathon; Disney Channel, which declares that “We stand for humanity” in a spot that calls attention to its support of Black Lives Matter; CNN, with its continuing “Facts First” campaign; and HGTV, which hypes its new series Design at Your Door. 

Notably, the Nick spot has the highest iSpot Attention Index (148) in our ranking, getting 48% fewer interruptions than the average promo (interruptions include changing the channel, pulling up the guide, fast-forwarding or turning off the TV).

1) Yellowstone, Paramount Network

Impressions: 400,834,587

Attention Score: 90.37

Attention Index: 61 (39% more interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 88%, Local 10%, VOD/OTT 2%

In-network Value: $2,786,534

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $1,862,304

2)  The Casagrandes | The Loud House, Nickelodeon

Impressions: 194,084,113

Attention Score: 96.92

Attention Index: 148 (48% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 98%, Local 1%, VOD/OTT 1%

In-network Value: $8,154,589

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $8,591

3) Black Lives Matter, Disney Channel

Impressions: 187,809,450

Attention Score: 95.81

Attention Index: 129 (29% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 97%, Local 1%, VOD/OTT 2%

In-network Value: $1,498,207

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $0.00

4) Facts First, CNN

Impressions: 163,355,103

Attention Score: 96.54

Attention Index: 141 (41% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 98%, Local 1%, VOD/OTT 1%

In-network Value: $541,288

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $0.00

5) Design at Your Door, HGTV

Impressions: 161,075,572

Attention Score: 96.08

Attention Index: 133 (33% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 100%, Local 0%, VOD/OTT 0%

In-network Value: $1,012,996

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $0.00

B&C has partnered with always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company iSpot.tv to bring you a weekly chart we call Promo Mojo: exclusive data showing the top five TV promos ranked by ad impressions. This is the programming the networks have been promoting most heavily to drive tune-in (our data covers the seven-day period through June 21).

On the strength of 400.8 million TV ad impressions, a promo for Paramount Network’s Kevin Costner-led drama Yellowstone is number one.

Cable networks once again dominate our ranking, with Paramount joined by Nickelodeon, which promotes a Loud House/The Casagrandes marathon; Disney Channel, which declares that “We stand for humanity” in a spot that calls attention to its support of Black Lives Matter; CNN, with its continuing “Facts First” campaign; and HGTV, which hypes its new series Design at Your Door. 

Notably, the Nick spot has the highest iSpot Attention Index (148) in our ranking, getting 48% fewer interruptions than the average promo (interruptions include changing the channel, pulling up the guide, fast-forwarding or turning off the TV).

1) Yellowstone, Paramount Network

Impressions: 400,834,587

Attention Score: 90.37

Attention Index: 61 (39% more interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 88%, Local 10%, VOD/OTT 2%

In-network Value: $2,786,534

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $1,862,304

2)  The Casagrandes | The Loud House, Nickelodeon

Impressions: 194,084,113

Attention Score: 96.92

Attention Index: 148 (48% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 98%, Local 1%, VOD/OTT 1%

In-network Value: $8,154,589

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $8,591

3) Black Lives Matter, Disney Channel

Impressions: 187,809,450

Attention Score: 95.81

Attention Index: 129 (29% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 97%, Local 1%, VOD/OTT 2%

In-network Value: $1,498,207

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $0.00

4) Facts First, CNN

Impressions: 163,355,103

Attention Score: 96.54

Attention Index: 141 (41% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 98%, Local 1%, VOD/OTT 1%

In-network Value: $541,288

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $0.00

5) Design at Your Door, HGTV

Impressions: 161,075,572

Attention Score: 96.08

Attention Index: 133 (33% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 100%, Local 0%, VOD/OTT 0%

In-network Value: $1,012,996

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $0.00

B&C has partnered with always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company iSpot.tv to bring you a weekly chart we call Promo Mojo: exclusive data showing the top five TV promos ranked by ad impressions. Our data covers the seven-day period through Aug. 2.

On the strength of 259 million TV ad impressions, a Nickelodeon network promo is No. 1; the spot points out that Nick has a history of supporting justice and equality — ratifying something called the Kids' Bill of Rights back in 1990 — and today it stands in support of Black Lives Matter.

Once again, our ranking is entirely dominated by cable networks, with Nick joined by Discovery, which hypes Shark Week; TNT, which promotes The Alienist; and HGTV, which gives some love to new series Martha Knows Best and Build Me Up.

Notably, the Build Me Up spot has the highest iSpot Attention Index (133) in our ranking, getting 33% fewer interruptions than the average promo (interruptions include changing the channel, pulling up the guide, fast-forwarding or turning off the TV).

1) Black Lives Matter, Nickelodeon

Impressions: 259,035,379

Attention Score: 93.73

Attention Index: 103 (3% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 98%, Local 1%, VOD/OTT 1%

In-network Value: $5,130,513

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $3,503

2) Shark Week, Discovery

Impressions: 251,466,244

Attention Score: 94.72

Attention Index: 119 (19% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 90%, Local 9%, VOD/OTT 1%

In-network Value: $1,665,451

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $244,044

3) The Alienist, TNT

Impressions: 235,669,150

Attention Score: 94.50

Attention Index: 115 (15% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 92%, Local 5%, VOD/OTT 3%

In-network Value: $2,913,409

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $88,780

4) Martha Knows Best, HGTV

Impressions: 234,646,547

Attention Score: 94.81

Attention Index: 120 (20% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 100%, Local 0%, VOD/OTT 0%

In-network Value: $1,342,736

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $0.00

5) Build Me Up, HGTV

Impressions: 223,813,425

Attention Score: 95.62

Attention Index: 133 (33% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 98%, Local 1%, VOD/OTT 1%

In-network Value: $1,462,315

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $0.00

*Data provided by iSpot.tv, TV Ad Measurement for Disruptive Brands*

Impressions - The total impressions within all US households including National Linear (Live & Time-shifted), VOD+OTT, and Local.

Attention Score - Measures the propensity of consumers to interrupt an ad play on TV. The higher the score, the more complete views. Actions that interrupt an ad play include changing the channel, pulling up the guide, fast-forwarding or turning off the TV.

Attention Index - Represents the Attention of a specific creative or program placement vs. the average in its respective industry. The average is represented by a score of 100, and the total index range is from 0 through 200. For example, an attention index of 125 means that there are 25% fewer interrupted ad plays compared to the average.

Imp. Types - Impression types tracked include National (Live + Time-shifted), Local, VOD & OTT. See below for further details.

In-network Value - Estimated media value of in-network promos.

Out-of-network Spend - The estimated amount spent on TV airing time for this promo's spots during a given date range.

National: Live - A national promo which was viewed during live linear television broadcast or same day, via DVR or on-demand.

Local - A promo that was aired during a local ad break slot.

VOD - This includes promos that run in on-demand content past three days (i.e. do not contain the linear promo load)

OTT - On-demand streaming content (i.e. Hulu, Roku, Fire TV Stick, Chromecast).

B&C has partnered with always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company iSpot.tv to bring you a weekly chart we call Promo Mojo: exclusive data showing the top five TV promos ranked by ad impressions. This is the programming the networks have been promoting most heavily to drive tune-in (our data covers the seven-day period through June 21).

On the strength of 400.8 million TV ad impressions, a promo for Paramount Network’s Kevin Costner-led drama Yellowstone is number one.

Cable networks once again dominate our ranking, with Paramount joined by Nickelodeon, which promotes a Loud House/The Casagrandes marathon; Disney Channel, which declares that “We stand for humanity” in a spot that calls attention to its support of Black Lives Matter; CNN, with its continuing “Facts First” campaign; and HGTV, which hypes its new series Design at Your Door. 

Notably, the Nick spot has the highest iSpot Attention Index (148) in our ranking, getting 48% fewer interruptions than the average promo (interruptions include changing the channel, pulling up the guide, fast-forwarding or turning off the TV).

1) Yellowstone, Paramount Network

Impressions: 400,834,587

Attention Score: 90.37

Attention Index: 61 (39% more interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 88%, Local 10%, VOD/OTT 2%

In-network Value: $2,786,534

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $1,862,304

2)  The Casagrandes | The Loud House, Nickelodeon

Impressions: 194,084,113

Attention Score: 96.92

Attention Index: 148 (48% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 98%, Local 1%, VOD/OTT 1%

In-network Value: $8,154,589

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $8,591

3) Black Lives Matter, Disney Channel

Impressions: 187,809,450

Attention Score: 95.81

Attention Index: 129 (29% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 97%, Local 1%, VOD/OTT 2%

In-network Value: $1,498,207

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $0.00

4) Facts First, CNN

Impressions: 163,355,103

Attention Score: 96.54

Attention Index: 141 (41% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 98%, Local 1%, VOD/OTT 1%

In-network Value: $541,288

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $0.00

5) Design at Your Door, HGTV

Impressions: 161,075,572

Attention Score: 96.08

Attention Index: 133 (33% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 100%, Local 0%, VOD/OTT 0%

In-network Value: $1,012,996

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $0.00

B&C has partnered with always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company iSpot.tv to bring you a weekly chart we call Promo Mojo: exclusive data showing the top five TV promos ranked by ad impressions. This is the programming the networks have been promoting most heavily to drive tune-in (our data covers the seven-day period through June 21).

On the strength of 400.8 million TV ad impressions, a promo for Paramount Network’s Kevin Costner-led drama Yellowstone is number one.

Cable networks once again dominate our ranking, with Paramount joined by Nickelodeon, which promotes a Loud House/The Casagrandes marathon; Disney Channel, which declares that “We stand for humanity” in a spot that calls attention to its support of Black Lives Matter; CNN, with its continuing “Facts First” campaign; and HGTV, which hypes its new series Design at Your Door. 

Notably, the Nick spot has the highest iSpot Attention Index (148) in our ranking, getting 48% fewer interruptions than the average promo (interruptions include changing the channel, pulling up the guide, fast-forwarding or turning off the TV).

1) Yellowstone, Paramount Network

Impressions: 400,834,587

Attention Score: 90.37

Attention Index: 61 (39% more interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 88%, Local 10%, VOD/OTT 2%

In-network Value: $2,786,534

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $1,862,304

2)  The Casagrandes | The Loud House, Nickelodeon

Impressions: 194,084,113

Attention Score: 96.92

Attention Index: 148 (48% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 98%, Local 1%, VOD/OTT 1%

In-network Value: $8,154,589

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $8,591

3) Black Lives Matter, Disney Channel

Impressions: 187,809,450

Attention Score: 95.81

Attention Index: 129 (29% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 97%, Local 1%, VOD/OTT 2%

In-network Value: $1,498,207

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $0.00

4) Facts First, CNN

Impressions: 163,355,103

Attention Score: 96.54

Attention Index: 141 (41% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 98%, Local 1%, VOD/OTT 1%

In-network Value: $541,288

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $0.00

5) Design at Your Door, HGTV

Impressions: 161,075,572

Attention Score: 96.08

Attention Index: 133 (33% fewer interruptions than avg.)

Imp. Types: National 100%, Local 0%, VOD/OTT 0%

In-network Value: $1,012,996

Out-of-network Est. Spend: $0.00

Even in the middle of a pandemic, Discovery can count on Shark Week to deliver sponsors.

In its 32nd year, Shark Week has attracted new sponsors including Jeep, Heineken 0.0, Nationwide, Burger King, Home Depot, Modelo, Gorilla Glue and Cooper Tire. Returning sponsors are headed by Geico.

Last year, Shark Week generated $28 million in ad sales for Discovery, according to iSpot.tv. This year, in an environment where analysts are expecting ad revenues to be
down as much as 30% for the second quarter, demand for Shark Week remains high, Discovery executive VP of national ad sales Scott Kohn said.

Commercials during Shark Week, which starts Aug. 9, are nearly sold out. Kohn wouldn’t say how this year’s sales would stack up to last year’s, but Discovery in 2020 made a concerted effort to boost the digital component.

RELATED: Cover Story: Summer of Sharks

“We’re definitely seeing significant growth in the support of Shark Week from a digital perspective,” Kohn said. “This is
how clients are buying and we’ve created much more robust content to view on our digital platforms.”

About half of the Shark Week sponsors made deals in last year’s upfront. The others bought more recently in the scatter market, Kohn said.

“We did see a tremendous amount of interest throughout the scatter marketplace,” he said. “I think people recognize that especially now, when there’s not a lot of competition on the air, Shark Week is going to be the place to showcase your brand message.”

Although Discovery pitches itself as an alternative to sports, Kohn said he couldn’t be sure if some of the money being gobbled up by Shark Week had originally been earmarked for events that were canceled or postponed because of COVID-19.

Many Shark Week sponsors run special commercials and marketing programs around the programming stunt. Despite the pandemic, Discovery was able to produce custom content for clients.

“We’ve been able to produce some amazing programming,” Kohn said. “We’ve taken a lot of best practices and, working with our integrated ad sales and marketing teams and clients, produced custom content during this time as well.”

Alcohol-free beer brand Heineken 0.0 will be integrated into the premiere episode of the event’s aftershow, Josh Gates Tonight: Shark Week. A sweepstakes with a shark dive as the prize is part of Jeep’s on-air and digital program, which also includes Nature Minute multiplatform videos and on-air custom vignettes.

RELATED: Nets Strutting Out Stunts This Summer

Jeep has social videos running on Facebook and Instagram, as well as Shark News videos across all sites and social. Nationwide will be featured on-air with a custom vignette and a Nature Minute video, as well as Shark News videos across social. Burger King will be featured prominently throughout Shark Week with on-air sponsorship and a mid-form series on the Discovery GO app.

Cooper Tire will sponsor tune-ins leading up to Shark Week, as well as digital and social content.

Kohn said he’s begun talking to clients about sponsoring next year’s Shark Week. 

It is a summer like no other for the various networks offering shark-centric stunts. Sharks around the world have had more freedom to roam with so many humans stuck at home, offering scientists a unique opportunity to chronicle their true behavior. Discovery, home of Shark Week, mentioned how fewer people hanging out at the beach “has given sharks the opportunity to reclaim the oceans.”

Shark Week runs Aug. 9 to Aug. 16, and vows to go where none of the 31 Shark Weeks before it have gone. “It’s a really unique, almost once in a lifetime opportunity to study great whites in a way they’ve never been observed before, without the influence of human activity on the water,” Howard Swartz, Discovery senior VP of production and development, said. “There are really surprising observations, surprising results.”

National Geographic, for its part, expanded its SharkFest event from three weeks last year to five weeks, going from July 19 to Aug. 8 on Nat Geo and Aug. 9 to Aug. 22 on Nat Geo Wild. Geoff Daniels, Nat Geo executive VP of global unscripted entertainment, said the absence of the Olympics and most pro sports on television spelled serious opportunity for other content, including shark stuff. “The appetite is almost insatiable,” he said. “We saw there being a real good opportunity to expand and grow our following.”

RELATED: Nets Strutting Out Stunts This Summer

While conditions may be ideal this year for shark TV on the content side, there are good reasons why Discovery has been doing Shark Week since 1988 and why other networks have followed that lead: viewers tune in and sponsors turn up. Shark Week averaged , for one,1.36 million total viewers during prime last year and made Discovery cable's top non-news network in prime for adults 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54. In total-day ratings, Discovery was cable’s No. 1 network during Shark Week in adults 18-49 and 25-54.

Fintastic Fare

In terms of pandemic-themed programming, Shark Week offers Shark Lockdown, about how the hunting patterns of great whites off New Zealand may have changed without many people in the water, Aug. 9. Sharks of Neptune is on Aug. 13, looking at how great whites in Australia “are returning to their natural behaviors” without mankind getting in the way.

Shark Week also offers new Air Jaws films dedicated to great whites leaping out of the water. Those include Ultimate Breach Off, an examination of how the shark population is holding up (that kicks off Shark Week Aug. 9) and Air Jaws 2020, which celebrates 20 years of flying sharks under the Air Jaws rubric, and is on Aug. 13. Great White Double Trouble looks at the rising wave of shark attacks in Australia, and premieres Aug. 10.

Mike Tyson, Will Smith, Shaquille O’Neal and Snoop Dogg are some of the celebrities hanging out with the apex predators during Shark Week.

In its eighth season, Nat Geo’s SharkFest offers 17 premiere hours, including Sharkcano, which sees a shark scientist reveal the peculiar connection between sharks and volcanos; and Raging Bull Shark, about why the bull shark is becoming increasingly dangerous. There’s also Sharks vs. Dolphins, which sounds like a bit of a mismatch on paper, but actually is not, according to Kevin Bachar, president and executive producer/director at Pangolin Pictures, which produced the film. Dolphins’ brains, he said, are a pretty good match for sharks’ sharp teeth. “Dolphins are able to go toe-to-toe with sharks,” he said. “In fact, they’re able to turn the tables on sharks.”

SharkFest will not focus on how COVID has affected shark habits — at least not this year. “I think it’s probably too early to really understand the impact the pandemic is having on shark life and shark behavior,” Daniels said. “But it did give us the opportunity to get into oceans that were not as influenced by human presence, an opportunity to see sharks behave completely unaffected by the human presence.”

Daniels said he “wouldn’t be surprised to see that become part of the stories going forward.”

Last year’s SharkFest, which went for three weeks, reached 20 million total viewers across Nat Geo and Nat Geo Wild. It averaged 555,000 total viewers on National Geographic and 215,000 on Nat Geo Wild.

Syfy might not have the nonfiction pedigree of Discovery and Nat Geo, but the network is also pushing hard on a shark stunt. One Last Bite of Summer, marking its fifth year, airs on the network Aug. 22 to Aug. 28. The half-dozen Sharknado films are featured, as for the first time is an array of high-camp original films, produced by Syfy and third-party outfits. The six Sharknado movies — including Sharknado: The 4th Awakens and Sharknado 5: Global Swarming — air Aug. 22. Ian Ziering and Tara Reid play fearless shark killers in the over-the-top horror movies, which offer loads of celebrity cameos.

In press materials, Syfy called One Last Bite “the only week of sharks you need this summer.” The rest of the stunt offers, among other movies, 5-Headed Shark, 6-Headed Shark, Planet of the Sharks, Zombie Tidal Wave and Sharktopus vs. Whalewolf.

RELATED: Sponsors Keep Biting at Discovery's Shark Week

Val Boreland, executive VP, content strategy & acquisitions for the NBCUniversal Entertainment & Lifestyle Group, said the Syfy stunt is most definitely not Shark Week.

“It’s all in fun,” she said. “It’s very campy, the most ridiculous shark experience you
can have.”

Might there be more Sharknado movies? “I never say never,” Boreland said.

While Discovery and Nat Geo shoot their shark projects year-round, the pandemic nonetheless caused a bit of havoc in the production process. Discovery deployed extra boats to better allow crews to socially distance, and protocols were set up to keep the virus at bay. “It added complexity, it added expense, it added time spent putting things together,” Howard Swartz said. “It definitely created some agita, but we were able to be patient and work through it.”

Geoff Daniels said that SharkFest projects may be in production for one and a half to two years, so COVID-19 challenges were less of an issue for Nat Geo. “There are no shortcuts to be able to tell groundbreaking, thrilling, entertaining stories,” he said.

Tooth Seekers

Asked why viewers appear to be so fascinated with sharks, multiple sources cite the 1975 Steven Spielberg smash Jaws. As the wide array of horror films and series across our TV dial will attest, people simply love to be scared to death. “For some reason we gravitate to roller coasters, we go see scary movies,” Bachar said. “We’re fascinated by things that terrorize us.”

Mary Dalton, professor of communication at Wake Forest University, called shark programming “a manageable risk:” it’s scary and it’s fun, and if it gets too scary, one can simply change the channel or leave the room. “There’s the adrenaline rush, and a sense of relief when it’s over,” she said.

Dalton likens the shark stunts on TV this summer to something else that tickled our desire to be frightened: Netflix smash Tiger King. “The lure, and lore, of big cats is not that different from the lure, and lore, of sharks,” she said. “Both are exotic.”

(Also exotic? Tiger King star Joe Exotic.)

Viewers simply enjoy watching a “perfect hunting machine,” in Swartz’s words, in action. “Sharks are massive and have lots of really big teeth. People are fascinated by that.”

As Tiger King took off in the early days of the COVID lockdown, shark content may work even better for a viewing population that has been stuck at home for a good chunk of 2020, spending much of its time watching frightful tales of pandemic and protest on the news. Daniels mentioned feeling “incredibly happy” after watching SharkFest cuts from the South Pacific and the Caribbean. “It offers viewers a really wonderful and hopeful escape from the everyday,” he added.

Discovery’s Swartz suspects increased hunger for shark content this summer. “It’s a nice respite from all the news of the world, and all the realities that are going on,” he said. “People love sharks.” 

Discovery’s Shark Week happens Aug. 9-16, offering more than 20 hours of shark programming. The programming stunt marks 32 years on the air.

Shark Week will celebrate the 20th anniversary of Air Jaws, Discovery’s series of films about great white sharks. Discovery said the summer event will examine how the pandemic has affected shark behavior, taking viewers to New Zealand, Australia and South Africa “to see how the global lockdown and reduced amount of human activity on the seas has given sharks the opportunity to reclaim the oceans.”

Discovery is working with close to two dozen respected marine biologists and science institutions “to deliver groundbreaking insight on some of the most unique shark species in the world using compelling shark research and advanced technology,” according to Discovery.

National Geographic’s Sharkfest event starts July 19. It is the eighth Sharkfest.

Discovery’s Shark Week happens Aug. 9-16, offering more than 20 hours of shark programming. The programming stunt marks 32 years on the air. 

Shark Week will celebrate the 20th anniversary of Air Jaws, Discovery’s series of films about great white sharks. Discovery said the summer event will examine how the pandemic has affected shark behavior, taking viewers to New Zealand, Australia and South Africa “to see how the global lockdown and reduced amount of human activity on the seas has given sharks the opportunity to reclaim the oceans.”

Discovery is working with close to two dozen respected marine biologists and science institutions “to deliver groundbreaking insight on some of the most unique shark species in the world using compelling shark research and advanced technology,” according to Discovery. 

National Geographic’s Sharkfest event starts July 19. It is the eighth Sharkfest. 

Discovery Communications raised its profit forecasts for both 2016 and for the next three-year period.

On its call with analysts to discuss second-quarter earnings on Tuesday (Aug. 2), the company said that recent renewals with distributors locked in solid revenue growth, particularly in Europe where Discovery will have rights to Olympic coverage. Discovery announced a renewal of its distribution deal with Liberty Global covering 12 European markets Tuesday.

Discovery CFO Andrew Warren told analysts that the company was packing ahead of its profit expectations and was raising its guidance for 2016 earnings per share growth from high teens to at least 20%.

Warren also said that over the next three years, in constant currency, the company expected to generate earnings per share growth in the low teens or better, compared with earlier guidance of low double digits.

The increases come despite what will be a difficult third quarter in terms of ad revenue. Because of the Olympics and the decision to air Discovery Channel's popular Shark Week earlier in the summer, ad revenue is likely to be down in the low single-digit range from last year but should rebound to positive in the fourth quarter, Warren said.

Discovery CEO David Zaslav called the move of Shark Week a mistake.

Read more at broadcastingcable.com.

Discovery Channel rode its annual “Shark Week” programming stunt to a first place primetime finish last week among all cable networks.

Discovery’s 2.3 million viewers was boosted by week-long, shark-themed specials which averaged 2.46 million viewers, slightly above the 2.4 million average viewer mark for Shark Week 2014, according to Ratings Intelligence. Shark Week also garnered minor year-to-year gains in primetime among adults 25-54. The network’s 11 p.m. Shark After Dark post-show series drew 1.5 million viewers, during the week, up from 1.4 million last year, said Ratings Intelligence.

Discovery easily topped Disney Channel and Fox News, which tied for second with 1.6 million viewers during the week of July 6 through July 12, according to Nielsen. USA Network, TNT and HGTV tied for fourth with 1.5 million viewers.

TBS and History (tied with 1.2 million viewers), FX (1 million viewers) and Food Network (973,000 viewers) rounded out the top 10 most watched networks for the week.

Disney Channel finished ahead of Discovery on a 24-hour basis, with Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon and Adult Swim following closely behind.

Discovery was the top choice among adults 18-49 for both prime time and on a 24-hour basis.

Most Watched Shows For The Week of July 6 – July 12
DateShowNetworkTotal Viewers
7/7                              Rizzoli & Isles                                                      TNT                                   4.4 million
7/6                              Major Crimes                                                       TNT                                   4.0 million
7/6                              WWE Monday Night Raw (9-10 p.m.)                  USA                                  3.6 million
7/6                              WWE Monday Night Raw (8-9 p.m.)                    USA                                  3.6 million
7/6                              WWE Monday Night Raw (10-11:15 p.m.)           USA                                  3.6 million
7/8                              Super Predator                                                     Discovery                          3.3 million
7/11                            NASCAR Sprint Cup Race                                   NBCSN                             3.2 million
7/6                              Return Of The Great White                                   Discovery                         3.1 million
7/9                              Mountain Men                                                        History                             3.0 million
7/8                              Ninja Sharks                                                          Discovery                         3.0 million
Source: Nielsen

USA Network was the most watched cable network in primetime over the seven-day period that included the July 4th holiday weekend, according to Nielsen.

USA averaged 1.6 million viewers to top all cable network during the week of June 29 to July 5, topping Discovery Channel, TNT and Fox News who tied for second with 1.5 million viewers.

HGTV and Disney Channel finished fifth with 1.4 million viewers, followed by TBS (1.2 million viewers), History (1.1 million) and FX and Food Network (1 million.)

Cartoon Network was the top choice for viewers on a 24-hour basis averaging 1.3 million viewers, followed by Disney Channel with 1.2 million viewers and Nickelodeon with 1 million viewers.

Discovery Channel was the most watched network among adults 18-49 in primetime during the week, while Adult Swim took top honors in the demo on a 24-hour basis.

TNT drama series Major Crimes and Rizzoli & Isles captured the top two slots among the most watched shows during a rare week in which a major live sporting event did not finish among the top 10, according to Nielsen.

Most Watched Shows On Cable During The Week Of June 29 to July 5

DateProgramNetworkTotal Viewers

6/29    Major Crimes                                                 TNT                  4.3 million

6/30    Rizzoli & Isles                                               TNT                  4.2 million

7/3       Alaskan Bush People                                    Discovery         3.5 million

6/29    WWE Monday Night Raw (9-10 p.m.)                USA                3.5 million

6/29    WWE Monday Night Raw (10-11:17 p.m.)          USA                3.4 million

6/29    WWE Monday Night Raw (8-9 p.m.)                  USA                3.3 million

6/30    The Haves and The Have Nots                         OWN               3.2 million

7/5       Island Of The Mega Shark                              Discovery         3.2 million

7/5       Monster Mako                                               Discovery          3.2 million

6/29    Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta                                  VH1                  2.9 million

Source: Nielsen

Delivery Agent said it has again hooked up with Discovery Channel on a campaign that enables the programmer to sell “Shark Week” merchandise to viewers via Twitter, Samsung smart TVs and other connected devices.

During the one-week campaign, which got underway Sunday (June 5), a new item and a new deal will become available through Delivery Agent’s platform. Delivery Agent, for example, said it is offering exclusive Shark Week merchandise, including apparel and accessories, via Twitter’s “Buy Now” component. The Shark Week Twitter handle (@SharkWeek) has more than 256,000 followers.

This also marks the second consecutive year that Delivery Agent has shop-enabled Shark Week on connected TVs, the companies said, noting that last year’s TV-commerce campaign yielded a 2% engagement rate, with 91% of viewers who forwarded a shopping link to their mobile device clicking through to the official Shark Week online store. For this week’s campaign, viewers watching on Samsung connected TVs can start the purchasing process when an interactive overlay appears adjacent to the programming.  Upon selecting those interactive elements, viewers will receive a Web-based shopping link to mobile devices, where they can complete their purchases.

The Shark Week block has historically been a ratings winner for Discovery Channel.  Last August, the programming tilt broke records, earning the highest ratings ever for Discovery among total viewers and women ages 25-54, as well as women ages 18-49.

“Shark Week, which shows no signs of slowing down, has become a multimedia phenomenon. Fans are watching and engaging with the show through a multitude of platforms and devices,” Christine Wacker, director of commerce partnerships and consumer products, Discovery Channel, said in a statement. “As we developed our e-commerce strategy, it was only natural for us to bring the brand directly to our fans and allow them to activate through all of Delivery Agent’s commerce enabled consumer touch points - from social to mobile to television.”

“The team at Discovery has always been forward thinking as evidenced by their early insight into the value of combining commerce capabilities with TV programming,” added Delivery Agent CEO Mike Fitzsimmons.  “Our integration with leading social, mobile and television platforms provides Discovery with an omni-screen commerce experience that aligns with where and how their fans are engaging with content.”

Discovery Channel's Scott Lewers, senior vice president of programming, is moving to sister network TLC as senior VP of multiplatform strategy, a position that will cut across business groups including digital, social, production, marketing, communications, programming and sales, the network said.

Lewers, whose new position begins immediately, will report to TLC general manager Nancy Daniels, the network said. He is charged with identifying opportunities to broaden TLC's audience reach across on-air, online and social platforms, a role similar to one he played at Oxygen prior to joining Discovery.

While at Discovery Channel, Lewers spearheaded new content for the network including Shark After Dark, the first live late-night Shark Week talk show, and championed the network’s digital content, including the record-breaking Skywire Live With Nik Wallenda, which won an Emmy for Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media -- Multiplatform Storytelling. Lewers won a 2012 Sports Emmy Award -- Outstanding New Approaches, Sports Event Coverage -- as part of the team behind Discovery Channel's Space Jump Live.

At NBCU Lewers was vice president of strategic multiplatform program planning & acquisitions at Oxygen Media, where he directed the network's strategy and overall programming direction across all platforms. Before that he was manager of programming, scheduling & acquisitions at Lifetime Entertainment.

Noting that TLC's audience is socially and digitally engaged, Daniels said Lewers's appointment "continues our strategy to leverage all of our platforms to create the most engaging experience to viewers, as we build an even stronger brand.”

Discovery Communications decision to move its highly-rated Shark Week programming block to July could give the programmer a leg up in upcoming negotiations with Comcast.

Discovery announced in late January that it would move the Shark Week block – a solid week of Shark-centric programming that has become its highest rated week – to July 5-12. Last August, the Shark Week block broke records, earning the highest ratings ever for Discovery among total viewers and women ages 25-54, as well as women ages 18-49. In addition to the July 5 debut, Discovery will also air new shark-oriented programming during a special weekend in August.

The July move, while helping to create a “summer-long” block of shark-oriented programming, also comes near the expected expiration of Discovery’s carriage deal with Comcast. And it could come in handy – Discovery Communications CEO David Zaslav has been critical of Comcast’s pending $67 billion purchase of Time Warner Cable.

In public filings, Comcast has said Discovery’s opposition to the TWC deal is motivated by finances – it claimed the programmer had “demanded unwarranted business concessions” in exchange for not opposing the TWC deal. Discovery had countered at the time that Comcast’s charges were an effort to divert attention from the del’s real problems.

Also in that filing, Comcast said its Discovery deal expired in mid-2015, which would put it at or about June 30.

Discovery declined to comment.

Discovery Communications chief financial officer Andrew Warren has signed a four-year employment deal with the programmer that will give him an annual salary of $1.175 million, according to documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

According to the documents, the agreement was effective on Sept. 1 and expires on Sept. 1, 2018.

Warren signed on as Discovery CFO in March,  after then-CFO Brad Singer announced his intention to step down.

Prior to joining Discovery, the home of such iconic programming as Shark Week, Deadliest Catch and Naked And Afraid -- Warren had been CFO at apparel company Liz Claiborne since 2007. Prior to Liz Claiborne Warren spent 18 years at General Electric and had been EVP and CFO at NBC Universal Television Group, responsible for all finance activities of NBC Network, Studios, CNBNC, MSNBC, USA, SciFi and Bravo.

According to the SEC documents, Warren will receive an annual base salary of $1.175 million and is eligible for an annual incentive of up to 120% of his base salary, with his target for fiscal 2014 being blended based on eight months at his previous bonus target of 100% and four months at the new target of 120%. Warren also will receive performance-based restricted stock units valued at $2 million within 60 days of the execution of the employment agreement. The PSUs will vest 50% on Sept.1, 2017 and 50% on Sept. 1, 2018.

At least Google showed a sense of humor as well as a science lesson regarding a shark attack on its fiber optic cable.  And, of course, it was just a coincidence that a video of a shark chomping on Google's cable surfaced during Discovery Channel's Shark Week and on the heels of the highly hyped "Sharknado 2" movie debut on SyFy channel. (The made-for-TV movie has a one-night stand in movie theaters on Thursday, August 21.

Google described the Pacific shark attack during an update last week about its $300 million undersea fiber optical cable system called FASTER, which is being built to deliver high-speed broadband signals to Asia.  Google has also invested in two other submarine cable systems to connect with Japan and southeast Asia.

Google had some fun with the shark-on-cable action.  It Tweeted a message that, "We *did* see that coming.... Next step, protecting the Internet from sharknados. #SharkWeek."  It said nothing about the video, which suggested that the shark didn't like the taste of Google.

As part of a technical update, Google officials described wrapping the underwater fiber optic cables in bullet-proof Kevlar fabric to stave off shark bites. There are conflicting analyses about why sharks are drawn to the FO cables.  Some experts believe that the electrical current in the lines attracts the sharks, which have volt sensors in their mouths. The digital signals may make the sharks think cables are food. Others say, the curious sharks nose around any item they encounter.

Reports about the shark-munching incident generated several thoughts.  First: who knew that Google was so deeply invested in undersea cables, which were once the province of big telecommunications carriers such as AT&T and the international arms of the telecom monopolies? Next: How will Google's experience in fending off attacks on its submarine lines translate into defensive measures as it strings fiber around American cities?

And most important:  how will cable and telco competitors call in sharknados to take a bite out of Google's domestic fiber.

Looking to capitalize on the success of both the Discovery Channel’s Shark Week and the network’s own Twitter sensation Sharknado, SyFy has announced that the inagural installment of Sharknado Week will take place from July 26 to August 2, 2014. 

In addition to Sharknado 2: The Second One, SyFy will also premiere Mega Shark vs. Mecha Shark and Roger Corman’s Sharktopus vs. Pteracuda.

The network also plans to honor the best in shark movie history with programs such as Sharkmania: The Top 15 Biggest Baddest Bloodiest Bites, an original documentary featuring various personalities discussing the best bite scenes from iconic shark films. 

SyFy hopes to recreate last year’s massive social media success when Sharknado 2: The Second One premieres Wednesday, July 30 at 9 p.m.