'Shark Week' and 'Sharkfest' execs reveal how sharks took over summer TV
Between Discovery's Shark Week and National Geographic's SharkFest, for decades, shark-related programming has been the apex predator dominating TV in the hot season.
'It is our Super Bowl,' Joseph Schneier, the SVP of Production and Development at Discovery, told The Post.
Advertisement
9 A photo from Discovery's 'Air Jaws The Hunt for Colossus.'
Discovery
He added, 'It's our best week of the summer every year. It's often the highest-rated thing on cable that week. We owe a little credit to 'Jaws,' of course.'
Last year, per Discovery, 25 million viewers tuned in to Shark Week.
Advertisement
He explained that the 1975 Steven Spielberg movie 'created this idea that sharks are super interesting, in the American consciousness.'
Schneier said that shark-related programming is 'the perfect kickoff to the summer. As summertime comes along in America, people think about beaches, the ocean in general, and shark stories. Thirty-seven years ago, when we started, we were following a national trend that was already happening in local news.'
9 A photo from Shark Week's 'Dancing With Sharks.'
Discovery
9 A 'SharkFest' photo of a Blue shark at night in the offshore waters of the Gulf of Maine.
Photo by Brian Skerry/National Geographic Image Collection
Advertisement
Shark Week on Discovery kicks off this year on Sunday, July 20 (beginning at 8 p.m. ET with 'Dancing With Sharks,' hosted by former 'Dancing With the Stars' host Tom Bergeron).
The inaugural Shark Week was in July 1988.
'We've been doing this for so long that the latest crop of scientists that we have all grew up watching Shark Week,' he explained.
9 A diver feeds a shark on 'Dancing With Sharks.'
Discovery
Advertisement
9 A photo from Nat Geo's 'Investigation Shark Attack.'
NatGeo
SharkFest on National Geographic started in 2012, and is currently airing with over 25 hours of shark-related programming on Nat Geo, Disney+, and Hulu.
Per Nat Geo, last year's SharkFest racked up over 69 million hours of viewing (including streaming on Hulu and Disney+).
Shark Week's programming also includes scientists and marine biologists, but it has more playful offerings such as 'Dancing With Sharks,' 'Great White Sex Battle,' 'Attack of the Devil Shark,' and 'Frankenshark,' while SharkFest's programming has a more educational tone.
9 A shark in 'Investigation Shark Attack.'
NatGeo
Shark Fest's 2025 lineup has included over 25 hours of shark-related programming, such as 'Sharks of the North,' 'Investigation Shark Attack,' 'Sharks Up Close with Bertie Gregory,' and documentary specials about 'Jaws' in honor of the movie's 50th anniversary,' such as 'Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story.'
Janet Han Vissering, SVP of Development & Production at National Geographic Partners, also credited the movie 'Jaws' for the public's interest in sharks.
'I think that that movie brought out this mysterious animal and brought it front and center,' she told The Post. 'It became the next bit of a phenomenon over the last 50 years.'
Advertisement
9 A diver with a shark in Discovery's 'How to Survive A Shark Attack.'
Discovery
She added that there are two main 'lanes' of how people feel about sharks.
'You either became somebody who was fascinated from a biological science approach…And it spurred this momentum for the area of shark biology to thrive. I talk to a lot of shark biologists who say, 'Actually, 'Jaws' spurred me to be interested in that species.''
As for the second 'lane,' of people's approach to sharks: 'There was something to be scared for, in the ocean. I think it became something that people were fascinated about. 'Is it coming after me? What's my relationship to this being?''
Advertisement
9 A grey reef shark emerges from an explosion of plankton-eating fish at Vostok Island.
Photo by Enric Sala/National Geographic Image Collection
She added that when people take beach vacations, the idea of the shark has become 'synonymous with summer.'
Is there a rivalry between Shark Week and SharkFest?
Han Vissering told The Post, 'We try to run our own race. We want to lead, and, hopefully, people chase us, rather than us chasing after anyone else. Well done on Discovery to create Shark Week. And then, we came along.'
Advertisement
9 An oceanic white tip shark.
Andy Mann
'We felt that there was still room for us to put together a lineup of great shark shows that had a slightly different angle, because of the access that we had with our scientists. We had a slightly different approach, and we've been thriving with that,' she shared.
Schneier told The Post that because the community of people who make shark shows is small, 'we're all friends.'
He added, 'We believe the audience remembers who started it all…Shark programming and Shark Week are kind of synonymous now, which is amazing.'
Advertisement
However, he quipped, 'In some ways, it's 'all boats rise,' to use a water pun.'
Schneier said that for both Shark Week and SharkFest, 'The important thing is we're [both] telling great stories about these cool creatures, and pushing a message of ocean conservation.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Axios
2 hours ago
- Axios
How the National Aquarium gets new sharks for its jaws-packed exhibit
Pandas fly the Panda FedEx Express. Zebras get an airlift. But when Baltimore's National Aquarium needs a new shark, it's a great-white-size task. Why it matters: It's Shark Week, but don't bask by the TV — there's an apex experience at the aquarium's " Shark Alley," where seven species cruise for your views. Descending into the circular 225,000-gallon tank is the closest you'll get to a cage dive on land. The intrigue: How do sharks get there? Some species, like Atlantic sandbar sharks, swim constantly to breathe, getting oxygen through water passing over their gills (so no orca-style airlift). And unlike those randy pandas, sharks aren't brought to the aquarium to breed. How it works: The aquarium only gets new sharks every few years, curator Jay Bradley tells Axios. Some of its longest inhabitants are also its farthest travelers: blacktips from Australia, part of an original 2013 exhibit. They were shipped as easygoing juveniles in individual tanks, flying cargo — no dedicated beluga Boeing for the li'l guys. Rarely, a baby shark (doodoododododo) is born. Between the lines: All sharks and rays — fun fact: shark cousins — are quarantined for 90 days in acclimation tanks in the Animal Care and Rescue Center before their permanent debut. Zoom in: For years, the National Aquarium participated in a shark tagging program in Delaware to track and study sand tiger sharks, where they also snagged new aquarium guests. Sandbars are the most prevalent shark species in the Chesapeake Bay. The most recent shark newcomers were sand tigers — caught in Delaware as juveniles, placed in tanks with circulating water for breathing and transported to the aquarium via truck. Threat level: For Atlantic shark attacks — and shark-on-shark attacks — it's low, even though there's a lot of big shark energy in Shark Alley. That's why bull sharks — a local species sometimes spotted in the Potomac — aren't invited. "They're tenacious, investigative. They tend to eat other things," Bradley tells Axios. (First rule of Shark Alley: Don't eat Shark Alley.) Meanwhile, Bradley says local sandbars "are a little shy." Sand tigers can move quickly, "but most of the time they're cruising."
Indianapolis Star
5 hours ago
- Indianapolis Star
Shark Week starts now! How to watch Discovery Channel on Sling with HBO Max
It's Shark Week! From Jaws to Sharknado, pop culture has been obsessed with our toothy, ocean friends for decades and this week highlight's that. Shark Week is an annual programming-based celebration hosted by Discovery Channel every year. Discovery Channel content is available on HBO Max with Sling. The week is full of Shark-related content on Discovery, starting on Sunday, July 20 and running until Saturday, July 26. From the launch of the special, Dancing with Sharks on Sunday, July 20 to the Battle for Shark Mountain on Saturday, July 26, Shark Week is jam-packed with shark-related learning. Here's everything you need to know to watch Shark Week 2025 on HBO Max with Sling: Shark Week is hosted by the Discovery Channel, and all of their content is available with an HBO Max add-on to your Sling TV subscription. Shark Week kicks off on Sunday, July 20 and ends on Saturday, July 26. Get Sling with HBO Max today Sling TV has several add-on packages that allow you to customize your at-home streaming experience with more sports, movies and entertainment. Get your first month of Sling for 50% off and score $5 off per month after that when you sign up for the Sling Blue and HBO Max bundle. Your first month of Sling Blue and Max add-on will start at $34.99 (normally $57.97) and include access to the HBO Max app, HBO Channels and On Demand. Prices will vary depending on other add-ons and offers you choose to include in your package. Here is a break down of the differences between Sling Orange and Sling Blue: Sign up for Sling TV for 50% off and get a free month of AMC+. Sign up for Sling
Boston Globe
6 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Free July events: Shakespeare on the Common, Art on the Plaza, plus the Moth Ball
The Boston Landmarks Orchestra will perform free concerts every Wednesday through Aug. 27. Michael Dwyer Advertisement PARK PHILHARMONIC Boston Landmark Orchestra performs free concerts every Wednesday on the Charles River Esplanade. This week's program includes familiar favorites by Leonard Bernstein and John Williams, and highlights works by Florence Price, a pioneering Black female composer. The concert will be preceded by a performance from the Boston String Academy, a primarily middle- and high-school-age student ensemble, at 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays, 7-9 p.m. DCR Hatch Memorial Shell, 47 David G. Mugar Way. Advertisement Shakespeare on the Common's performance of "The Tempest" in 2021. Ben Stas for The Boston Globe ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE For the 29th year, July 23-Aug. 10, performance times vary. Boston Common, Parkman Bandstand. 139 Tremont St. CURB APPEAL School may be out for the summer, but some campuses still have plenty on offer. The MassArt Art Museum's yearly Art on the Plaza offers family-friendly musical activities to get the blood pumping. Grab a complimentary scoop of ice cream, join a follow-the-leader dance session, play a game of hopscotch, or jam out to featured artists July 24, 6-9 p.m. RSVP required. MassArt Art Museum, Arne Glimcher Plaza, 621 Huntington Ave. Need to show off your Shark Week knowledge? Try your luck at Craft Hall's shark-themed trivia night. Uncredited/Associated Press AS SEEN ON TV Can't get enough of Shark Week? Test your chops on your favorite elasmobranchii with a shark-themed trivia night. Winners of each of the four rounds will win a prize. The competition is free, but participants can choose to order food from the Craft Hall's restaurants, including a selection of wines, beers, IPAs, and batch cocktails from a self-pour tap wall for 21+ contestants. July 25, 6-8 p.m. RSVP required. Craft Food Halls, 35 Cambridgepark Drive, Cambridge. Advertisement SAND ART Looking for a beach day with a view? Over the weekend, the 21st annual International Sand Sculpting Festival will bring participants from around the world to compete over three days to make the most impressive sculptural art piece out of Revere Beach sand. This year, contestants are encouraged to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution in their sculptures. If you want to make a day of it, the beach's vendors sell a variety of treats, from lobster rolls to egg rolls. July 25-27, 10 a.m. Revere Beach, Revere. The Boston Race Amity Festival will return to Faneuil Hall on July 26. Boston Race Amity Art and Music Festival INCLUSION AND ICE CREAM Faneuil turns musical on Saturday for the annual Boston Race Amity Festival, which features a wide variety of music with the goal of inspiring cross-cultural unity. The eclectic list of performers includes folk-rock band Fantastic Cat, African diasporic music group Zili Misik, and Cambridge DJ Trigga Tre, among many others. Attendees can contribute to a big collaborative mural all day, and Ben and Jerry's, the event's cohost, will be serving free ice cream from noon-5 p.m. July 26, noon -6 p.m. Faneuil Hall, 4 South Market St. Send info on free events and special offers at least 10 days in advance to . Ryan Yau can be reached at
