Animal Planet scored big with the first season of Whale Wars, notching the best performance in the network’s history among adults 25 to 54 and men of the same age.
The show -- an adventure series tracking the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, an organization founded by former Greenpeace member Paul Watson, who uses unconventional and radical methods to eradicate alleged illegal whaling operations -- averaged 529,000 adults 25 to 54 during its seven premiere, according to Nielsen Media Research data. Included in that total were 309,000 men 25 to 54, said network officials.
All told, the show delivered a 0.7 household rating in the Friday 9 p.m. hour, a 75% increase over the year-ago time slot average, and some 946,000 viewers.
The Dec. 19 maiden season finale drew a 0.8 household rating, translating into 1.01 million viewers. The rating performance matched the show’s premiere average.
“Whale Wars is the latest example of Animal Planets new brand positioning which is bringing the network a new and larger audience,” said Marjorie Kaplan, president and general manager of Animal Planet Media, in a statement.
