ANIMAL PLANET ANNOUNCES THE FINAL SEASON OF TOP SERIES "RIVER MONSTERS"

-Ninth and Final Season of RIVER MONSTERS Premieres April 23-

After eight years, extreme angler and biologist Jeremy Wade is hanging up his fishing rod and the final season of RIVER MONSTERS will begin on Sunday, April 23 at 9PM ET/PT.

RIVER MONSTERS has followed Wade's life-long quest to find finned killers and discover which are predators, which are victims, and which are the stuff of myth and legend. Since 2008, Wade has reeled in some of the rarest, most elusive and most dangerous creatures lurking beneath the water's surface. And he's back for One. More. Season.

"Jeremy has taken the Animal Planet audiences on the most incredible journeys over the past eight seasons and we know our viewers will miss those adventures," said Patrice Andrews, General Manager of Animal Planet. "We will give River Monsters a glorious on-air farewell with its final season and specials that will celebrate one of our favorite shows."

"Some shows can run forever, but our subject matter is finite. 10 years ago, I had a list in my head, which seemed impossibly ambitious at the time, but everything has now been ticked off - and then some. I have seen things beyond my wildest dreams, and sharing those moments with our loyal Animal Planet audiences has made them doubly special," said Wade.

"Old fishermen never die - they only smell that way! We decided to stop while we were still fresh. Animal Planet has been a great partner and we're excited about this final River Monsters season as Jeremy has saved the best until last," said Icon Films Creative Director Harry Marshall.

Season nine of RIVER MONSTERS is Wade's final chance to make his way to unexplored regions to pursue the last remaining cases in his file, to track down the few monster fish that have eluded him - and to settle some scores. This final season will be a mix of river missions, sea journeys, classic whodunits and personal quests. There will be terrifying new monsters, exciting new investigations and fascinating new science. As Wade travels further and explores deeper than ever before, he will also land the biggest fish of his career.

RIVER MONSTERS episodes this final season will include:

· Ice Cold Killer: Travelling from London to Greenland and on to Norway, Wade follows the trail of an unknown sea monster. Fishing through ice to extraordinary depths, he attempts to reel in this monster before the full fury of an Arctic storm hits.

· Coral Reef Killers: On the tropical island of Sulawesi, Indonesia, a tourist snorkeler and several local fishermen have been killed and injured by a mysterious sea creature that impales its victims. Wade travels to the scene to investigate, risking life and limb to solve the mystery before anyone else falls victim.

· Return of the Killer Catfish: On his first River Monsters investigation, Wade was propelled into a mountain river by a goonch catfish as big as himself. 10 years on, he fears such fish are now extinct until he hears a report from Nepal that sounds strangely familiar. Could the original river monster be back from the brink and back in business?

· Volcanic Island Terror: On a volcanic Pacific island, an ancient fishing community is being terrorized by something unknown in the water that's been leaving behind mysterious puncture wounds on its victims. Can Wade uncover the identity of this fanged assailant?

· Malaysian Lake Monster: When two men mysteriously vanish on a remote lake in Malaysia, Wade sets out to track down the possible killer. Amid rumors of a giant fish on the loose, he follows the evidence into the last stronghold of an old adversary: the one river monster that he's failed to catch.

· Killers from the Abyss: Wade takes on the biggest investigation of his career; to unravel what happened to over one thousand passengers of the RMS Laconia, torpedoed in the mid-Atlantic. To discover the culprits, he travels the globe, battling extraordinary fish, massive sharks and a deep-sea monster.

To commemorate the final season, fans will be able to vote online for their favorite RIVER MONSTERS episodes. Wade will then reveal the top fan favorites during a marathon leading up the season premiere. Both newcomers and tried and true diehard fans can catch up by streaming past seasons of RIVER MONSTERS on AnimalPlanetGO.com or by downloading the Animal Planet GO app. During the season, Animal Planet's original digital series How to Catch a River Monster will return as Wade dives even deeper into the techniques, technologies and equipment used to hook each monster, along with the care and handling required for its release. Fans will also have the opportunity to submit questions to Wade via social media which will be answered on air each week, and for the first time can get a rare glimpse inside Wade's life and adventures by following him on Instagram. Up to the minute updates throughout the final season of RIVER MONSTERS will also be shared on Facebook and Twitter.

RIVER MONSTERS is an Icon Films and Animal Planet co-production. Harry Marshall, Laura Marshall and Nicholas White serve as executive producers for Icon Films with Andie Clare as series producer. For Animal Planet, Lisa Lucas is executive producer with Patrick Keegan as supervising producer.

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About Animal Planet:

Animal Planet, a multi-media business unit of Discovery Communications, is the network of hit franchise series RIVER MONSTERS, PIT BULLS & PAROLEES and TREEHOUSE MASTERS and the home of provocative and award-winning specials and documentary films presented under the banner ANIMAL PLANET PRESENTS. Animal Planet's programming also includes quarterly tent pole TV events PUPPY BOWL, the largest non-sports TV on Super Bowl Sunday, and MONSTER WEEK. Animal Planet is the premiere TV, digital and social community for animal lovers and pet owners, providing immersive, engaging, high-quality entertainment across all Animal Planet assets including: Animal Planet television network, available in more than 94 million homes in the US, that is complimented with a deep Video On Demand offering; 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; Animal Planet social including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat.

About Discovery Communications:

Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) satisfies curiosity and engages superfans with a portfolio of premium nonfiction, lifestyle, sports and kids programming brands. Reaching more than 3 billion cumulative viewers across pay-TV and free-to-air platforms in more than 220 countries and territories, Discovery's portfolio includes the global brands Discovery Channel, TLC, Investigation Discovery, Animal Planet, Science and Turbo/Velocity, as well as OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network in the U.S., Discovery Kids in Latin America, and Eurosport, the leading provider of locally relevant, premium sports and Home of the Olympic Games across Europe. Discovery reaches audiences across screens through digital-first programming from digital content holding company Group Nine Media, Discovery VR, over-the-top offerings Eurosport Player and Dplay, as well as TV Everywhere products comprising the GO portfolio of TVE apps and Discovery K!ds Play. For more information, please visitwww.discoverycommunications.com.