Warner Brothers Discovery said that Ford, Harbor Freight and Universal Pictures have signed up as new sponsors for “Shark Week,” the predatory programming event in its 36th year.
Advertisers back for another bite as Shark Week sponsors include Gorilla Glue, PNC Bank, Sherwin Williams and Universal Pictures.
Last year's Shark Week sponsors included Budweiser, Chili's and Domino's
Many Shark Week advertisers receive custom video and promotional elements like tagged tune-in spots, billboards, in-program messaging and streaming collections as part of their sponsorships.
PNC Bank-sponsored billboard will run across Warner Bros. Discovery-owned cable networks Discovery Channel, TBS, HGTV and Food Networks.
Sherwin Williams will have sponsored vignettes running on Discovery, TBS and TNT.
“Shark Week is a pop-culture phenomenon that has become synonymous with summer programming, and our viewers look forward to the entertaining, innovative shark-themed programming year-after-year,” said Greg Regis, executive VP, advertising sales at Warner Bros. Discovery. “It provides an opportunity for our partners to connect with engaged audiences live, across devices, networks and platforms, to develop integrative messaging that resonates with consumers.”
Shark Week, running from July 7 through July 13 on Discovery Channel and streaming on Max, will feature 21 hours of new programming.
John Cena will be this year’s Shark Week host.
Programming highlights include the next chapter of Belly of the Beast, Monster Hammerheads: Species X and Great White Serial Killer: Sea of Blood, which investigates a massive shark that decapitates its victim and terrorizes a local village.
Last year, Discovery Channel was the top ranked network in all of television with adults 18-49 and men 18-49 on the first night of Shark Week.
More than 5.3 million total viewers watched Shark Week programming across Discovery Channel, Max and discovery plus on its first night. Shark Week accounted for an 18% lift in overall streaming. Shark Week 2023 also generated 191 million total social impressions.
