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Captain Paul Watson and his seafaring, anti-whaling crew from the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society captured nearly 1.2 million U.S. viewers (1.17M) in the season debut of WHALE WARS on Animal Planet. The action-packed, adrenaline-fueled environmental adventure series delivered double-digit audience gains compared to its first season average (HH: 846K, +23%; P25-54: 638K, +21%; M25-54: 399K, +29%; P18-49: 625K, +25%; P2+: 1.17M, +24%). Compared to the WHALE WARS series premiere last year, last Friday's season premiere delivered significant increases (HH +17%, P25-54 +41%; M25-54 +73%; P18-49 +45%, P2+ +22%).
Animal Planet ranked #1 among all cable with M25-54 and #2 with P25-54 at the 9 PM and 10 PM hours respectively (excluding movies). WHALE WARS fueled the network's success at 9 PM while the Planet's recent hit series RIVER MONSTERS contributed to the 10 PM victory.
Among all cable programs on Friday night, WHALE WARS and RIVER MONSTERS ranked in the top five among M25-54.
"WHALE WARS is one of the most exciting series in the network's history and a terrific launch for our summer season with ten more weeks of amazing storytelling for the show's fans," noted Marjorie Kaplan, President and General Manager of Animal Planet. "Animal Planet is building a strong slate for a passionate audience with series like WHALE WARS, RIVER MONSTERS and a new season of JOCKEYS returning later this summer."
Earlier this year when the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society vessel the Steve Irwin docked in Hobart, Tasmania, it was met by two dozen members of the Australian Federal Police. They were there to confiscate hundreds of hours of videotape, launching an investigation into what was one of the most intense and dramatic campaigns ever conducted by the Sea Shepherds in their 30-year history. It was a life-changing experience for those on the boat and is the basis for WHALE WARS. The new season includes collisions at sea; dangerous ice fields to avoid; harrowing nautical maneuvers; and the use of more aggressive defenses against the Sea Shepherds.
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