Shark bites new viewers for Discovery in 33rd year

NEW YORK (AP) — Shark Week is firmly into middle age for the Discovery network, but a new study shows its potency in pulling in new viewers. The study from LG Ads found that 37% of the people who tuned in to Shark Week last year hadn’t watched Discovery at any time in the previous month. The phenomenon was even stronger for Shark Fest, the version for National Geographic. Even better for the network, the study found that several of those new viewers stuck around for awhile. Discovery’s overall viewership numbers were down last week, with tough competition from basketball and baseball.