LATEST GROUNDBREAKING NATURAL HISTORY SERIES PULLED IN 26.7 MILLION VIEWERS ACROSS SEVEN DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS NETWORKS DURING MARCH 18 SIMULCAST

On Sunday, March 18th at 8PM E/P, Discovery launched FROZEN PLANET, a sweeping seven-part series four years in the making. It is ultimate portrait of our earth's polar regions, where the scale and beauty of the scenery and sheer power of the natural elements are unlike anywhere else on the planet.

RATINGS

The two-hour premiere (The Ends of the Earth at 8PM E/P followed by Spring at 9PM E/P) was watched by 26.7 million people, or 9.2% of the country (L+SD, 1-min qualifier, P2+).

Among all simulcast partners in the Discovery Communications portfolio - Discovery, TLC, Animal Planet, Science, ID, Velocity and Discovery Fit and Health - collectively the networks were up +72% vs the prior six-week timeslot, with Discovery Channel up 260% while delivering 3.51 million viewers (L+SD, P2+). Discovery Channel was up 198% among P25-54 L+SD ratings/delivery.

ONLINE & SOCIAL

FROZEN PLANET also captivated audiences online and across social media. Led by the addictive Penguin Cam, the FROZEN PLANET fansite garnered nearly 50 million page views to date - with fans visiting Discovery.com to watch behind-the-scenes clips, play the Criminal Penguins game and learn more about our polar regions through custom infographics.

Viewers also took to Twitter last night, generating more than 41,000 Tweets about the series and checking in on GetGlue to unlock custom stickers, with $1 being donated by Discovery Channel to its nonprofit partners for each one earned.

COMING UP THIS WEEK

This Sunday, March 25th at 8PM E/P, FROZEN PLANET takes audiences through summer at the poles, a time when the harshest environments on earth temporarily become favorable - for most. While the sun never sets, life speeds up for polar wildlife in a race to raise their young. Polar bear cubs get their first swimming lesson and in the Antarctic, male fur seals fight a life or death battle for the right to mate. And emperor penguins return and make the long, bumpy trip to their colony to mate and lay their eggs. In the end, only the hardy few stay as the ice returns.