Discovery Channel said its Shark Week premiere episode Sunday night drew 3.9 million persons two-plus, scoring the best delivery ever for a Shark Week premiere.
The two-hour program, Ocean of Fear, The Worst Shark Attack Ever, pulled a 2.8 household rating in its 9 p.m.-11 p.m. (EST/PST) time slot. It topped the 2003 premiere program for Shark Week’s Anatomy of a Shark Bite, which drew 3.2 million persons two-plus.
Jaws star Richard Dreyfuss narrated Ocean of Fear, which told the story of the U.S.S. Indianapolis, a ship that was sunk by two torpedoes in the Philipine Sea the night of July 30, 1945. Hundreds of sharks attacked the 900 sailors who were stranded in the water.
As part of its Shark Week programming, Discovery plans to premiere Deadly Stripes: Tiger Sharks at 9 p.m. Monday and Top 5 Eaten Alive at 10 p.m.
This week’s schedule also includes Shark Feeding Frenzy (July 31, 9 p.m.-10 p.m.); Perfect Predators (Aug. 1, 9 p.m.-11 p.m.); Shark Tribe (Aug. 2, 9 p.m.-10 p.m.); Sharks: A Family Affair (Aug. 3, 9 p.m.-10 p.m.); and Sharkman (Aug. 4, 9 p.m.-11 p.m.).
