Animal Planet's "Mermaids: The New Evidence" Draws 3.6 Million & Is Network's #1 Most-Watched Telecast Ever

- Millions are still discussing the existence of mermaids today but one thing is clear, the ratings are real. Animal Planet's MERMAIDS: THE NEW EVIDENCE telecast on Sunday evening at 10 PM was the network's #1 most-watched telecast of all time with the premiere delivering 3.6 million P2+ viewers.  Animal Planet was the #1 network in all of television for the timeslot among P25-54 and W25-54 delivery, earning a magical 1.9M P25-54 and 809K W25-54 viewers (excluding sports on Fox & TNT).  The special drove the Planet's best nightly delivery ever earning 2.8M P2+ viewers.
Also, MERMAIDS: THE NEW EVIDENCE is Animal Planet's #1 telecast of all time among Households with 2.5 rating; M25-54 with a 2.2 rating; P25-54 with 1.9 rating; M18-49 with 1.7 rating; P18-49 and W18-49 both with a 1.6 rating.  It far outpaced the network's previous record-setter, 2005's DRAGONS: A FANTASY MADE REAL with 2.8 million viewers.MERMAIDS: THE NEW EVIDENCE has also hooked audiences online, generating more than 1.5M streams of Mermaids related video since Sunday evening, triple the volume seen with the original special.
"The phenomenon of MERMAIDS has truly been a watershed - and a watercooler - moment for Animal Planet," said Marjorie Kaplan, president and general manager of Animal Planet.  "These extraordinary television specials have electrified, challenged & entertained television audiences and online fans alike."
Perhaps the most haunting, lingering imagery from last year's MONSTER WEEK is the physical evidence linked to the existence of mermaids. In MERMAIDS: THE BODY FOUND, Animal Planet stunned viewers with captivating footage and an in-depth investigation of these fantastical creatures. During this year's MONSTER WEEK, Animal Planet revisited this startling, groundbreaking topic in the much-anticipated follow-up special, MERMAIDS: THE NEW EVIDENCE.  In an exclusive interview with Dr. Paul Robertson, former NOAA scientist who led last year's investigation, journalist Jon Frankel probes for the unfiltered story and reveals new evidence of mermaids that only has come forward in the past year.
MERMAIDS: THE NEW EVIDENCE is produced for Animal Planet by Discovery Creative.  For Animal Planet, Charlie Foley is executive producer, creator and writer. For Animal Planet, Vaibhav Bhatt is writer and executive producer and Jamie Dugger is writer and producer.  For Discovery Creative, Matt Katzive and Mary Clare Baquet served as executive producers, Christina Bavetta was director and Lizzie Turkevich was post producer.
Animal Planet Media (APM), a multi-media business unit of Discovery Communications, is the world's only entertainment brand that immerses viewers in the full range of life in the animal kingdom with rich, deep content via multiple platforms and offers animal lovers and pet owners access to a centralized online, television and mobile COMMUNITY for immersive, engaging, high-quality entertainment, information and enrichment.  APM consists of the Animal Planet television network, available in more than 96 million homes in the US; online assets www.animalplanet.com, the ultimate online destination for all things animal; the 24/7 broadband channel, Animal Planet Beyond; Petfinder.com, the #1 pet-related Web property globally that facilitates pet adoption; and other media platforms including a robust Video-on-Demand (VOD) service; mobile content; and merchandising extensions