Shark Week buzz: research uncovers millennials sunk teeth into 30th anniversary programming
Millennials sunk their teeth into this year’s Shark Week lineup, according to research from YouGov.
Shark Week made its mark on milliennial viewers says a new YouGov finding / Laura College
The annual marine carnivore extravaganza was the network’s buzziest, the firm’s BrandIndex revealed: giving the Discovery Channel a 19, it’s highest ‘buzz score’ so far this year. This may be due in part to a lineup that featured celebrities like Shaq and Ronda Rousey, brand partnerships and interesting collaborations with Shark Tank and Guy Fieri.
The eight days of programming overall brought a huge lift to the network, but amongst those in the 18-34 year-old bracket, that buzz went up two percentage points from July 22 (when the special aired).
According to YouGov’s chief executive of data products, Ted Marzilli, even for a 30th anniversary, this spike in interest may be a more lasting one for the network than in past years.
“This year’s Shark Week is both star-studded and big-toothed, an apparent formula for success,” he said.
Regardless of its impact for the channel long term, at least Discovery's choices to bring Flavortown and star power to its biggest week of the year got people talking.