MUMBAI: Infotainment broadcaster Animal Planet in the US is tackling the Internet in a big way. It has announced its first slate of original web series on AnimalPlanet.com that builds on and features the personalities on TV franchises like ‘Finding Bigfoot‘, ‘Tanked‘, Pit Boss and ‘Call Of The Wildman‘ and more.
With short-form digital companions planned for seven of the network‘s most popular returning TV series, the programming includes:
Shorty‘s Top Dog: The PIT BOSS, Shorty Rossi, always has his main man and service dog, Hercules, by his side. But which four-legged friend will be Hercules‘ successor when the time comes for this top dog step down? This ten-episode series, available now online, follows Shorty as he travels to Mexico on his quest to find his future "number two."
Tanked Aftershow: Kicking off on 22 Marc, the Aftershow catches up with TANKED‘s Wayde King, Brett Raymer and the ATM team and captures the behind-the-scenes stories about the ambitious aquarium projects they take on in each show. The 20-episode series will premiere each Friday on AnimalPlanet.com
‘Hell Cats Revisited: How Do You Like Meow?‘: What happens to those troubled cat owners and difficult felines after ‘My Cat From Hell‘s Jackson Galaxy leaves? In ‘Hell Cats Revisited‘, debuting April 6, Galaxy catches up with the families featured in current premieres and some of the most hellish cats from previous seasons to see if life is still heavenly after expert advice from Galaxy.
‘How to Catch a River Monster‘: From 7 April, this returning online series features ‘River Monsters‘S‘ Jeremy Wade revealing how he captures the elusive, finned creatures featured in the network‘s most-watched series. Wade provides the ultimate guide to fishing for monsters, revealing the tricks of the trade that help him hone in on some of the world‘s most mysterious freshwater fish.
Discovery VP of digital media Miguel Monteverde said, "Animal Planet viewers turn first to our network for their favorite series and stars, and we look forward to helping them connect on an even deeper level with our new online series. From our long-form ‘surprisingly human‘ franchises on the living room TV to complementary short-form web originals on smaller screens, our mission is to delight Animal Planet‘s wildly passionate audiences across all platforms".