Animal Planet (stylized in all lowercase since 2018) is an American multinational pay television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. First established on June 1, 1996, the network is primarily devoted to series and documentaries about wild animals and domestic pets.
The channel was originally a joint venture with BBC Worldwide and primarily focused on nature documentaries surrounding wildlife, targeting a family audience. In 2008, Animal Planet rebranded with a more mature programming direction, with a greater emphasis on aggressive and predatory portrayals of animals, as well as an increase in documentary-style reality series following personalities involved in animal-related occupations and investigations. Animal Planet rebranded again in October 2018, pivoting away from its more aggressive branding.
As of January 2016, approximately 91,603,000 households receive Animal Planet. Discovery has also established or licensed international versions of the channel in various regions.
Channel Description:
- Channel: Animal Planet
- Country: India
- Language: English
- Category: Science/Documentary Channel
PROGRAMS:
River Monsters
River Monsters is a British and American wildlife documentary television program produced by Icon Films of Bristol, UK for Animal Planet. It is hosted by extreme angler and biologist Jeremy Wade, who travels around the world looking for clues, eyewitnesses, and stories about people who have been dragged underwater by these vicious predators. He attempts to capture the largest specimens before releasing them back into the wild. His goal is to educate people about the truth behind the animals’ attacks on humans in order to save these rare creatures from extinction.
Wade’s weekly quest in the first season included piranha, goonch catfish (while investigating the Kali River goonch attacks), alligator gar, wels catfish, arapaima, piraba, and the bull shark. All of them are potentially lethal creatures that humans do not fully comprehend. The show also explains the animals’ feeding habits, behaviour, and conservation status. Animal Planet and Discovery Channel both rebroadcast episodes with captions showing behind-the-scenes commentary from the host about the specific episode. River Monsters: Unhooked is the title of these episodes.
The second season of River Monsters premiered on Discovery Channel on April 24, 2010, with the first episode, “Demon Fish,” premiering on March 28, 2010. This season had seven episodes and took viewers to the Congo River and other faraway places. Wade caught a pregnant giant freshwater stingray in the episode “Death Ray,” the largest fish he had ever caught. While being examined by Wade and a team of biologists, she gave birth to two puppies. Wade’s second-largest catch this season was white sturgeon.
