ANIMAL PLANET RENEWS CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED AND VIEWER EMBRACED ORIGINAL DOCUSERIES "THE LAST ALASKANS" FOR SECOND SEASON AMID BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE

- THE LAST ALASKANS Ranks as Animal Planet's Second-most Watched Series in 2015 Among P2+ Viewers -

- All-day Marathon Leads up to Season Finale on Sunday, July 12, at 8 PM (ET/PT) -

(New York) - Animal Planet today announced the renewal of THE LAST ALASKANS for a second season. The original docuseries has been hailed by critics and audiences alike and referred to as "the next evolution in Alaska programming." The new season premieres in 2016.

Beginning Sunday, July 12, at 1 PM (ET/PT), the network marathons the entire eight-episode season beginning with the first episode leading up to the season finale at 8 PM (ET/PT). In the season finale titled "The End of Darkness," sunlight finally returns to the refuge as the remaining families reflect on the winter season and prepare to return to town in -50 degree weather.

THE LAST ALASKANS is Animal Planet's second-most-watched series in 2015 to date among P2+ viewers (1.5M) - only behind RIVER MONSTERS, which is the network's best-performing series ever.

"THE LAST ALASKANS is a genre-busting game changer for Animal Planet," says Rick Holzman, general manager and executive vice president of Animal Planet. "We're thrilled to continue documenting the lives of these extraordinary families in such a way that not only captivates our audience but also delivers a truly authentic glimpse of life in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge."

THE LAST ALASKANS is produced for Animal Planet by Half Yard Productions. John Jones, Abby Greensfelder, and Sean Gallagher are the executive producers, John Collin is the supervising producer, Jared McGilliard is the showrunner and co-executive producer, and James Campbell is the co-executive producer for Half Yard Productions. For Animal Planet, Keith Hoffman is the executive producer, and Sarah Russell is the associate producer. The series was developed by Animal Planet's Kurt Tondorf.

Animal Planet, 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. Animal Planet consists of the Animal Planet television network, available in more than 94 million homes in the US; online assets www.animalplanet.com, the ultimate online destination for all things animal; Animal Planet L!VE, the go-to digital destination for round-the-clock, unfiltered access to the animal kingdom; and other media platforms including a robust Video-on-Demand (VOD) service, and merchandising extensions.

*All data is reported on Nielsen Live +3 data stream.