Discovery's Annual SHARK WEEK Television Event Marks 20th Anniversary with Unprecedented 45 Hours of Jawtastic Programming, July 5-12

– Bigger and earlier than ever before, Discovery Canada celebrates its 20^th anniversary event for SHARK WEEK –
– SHARK WEEK programming includes 22 hours of premieres with primetime lineup airing day-and-date with Discovery U.S. and additional content to premiere in August –
– DAILY PLANET to anchor Discovery's SHARK WEEK with comprehensive shark-themed story lineup –
– Discovery once again partners with Nissan for unique content integration –

"You can run, but you can't escape SHARK WEEK on Discovery Canada… Be afraid." – Postmedia News

"It's back and bite me if you dare to shrug it off – SHARK WEEK is upon us." – The Globe and Mail

"Featuring the biggest and coolest sharks imaginable…" – Montreal Gazette

To tweet this release: http://bmpr.ca/1f7muLg

TORONTO, June 15, 2015 /CNW/ - Lurking below the surface, the silent hunters are back for summer's highly anticipated annual TV event, Discovery's SHARK WEEK! Celebrating its 20^th anniversary and making waves earlier than ever before, SHARK WEEK pushes off into the deep blue beginning Sunday, July 5 through Sunday, July 12 on Discovery. This year's unprecedented lineup features more content, more hours, and more sharks than any previous SHARK WEEK, with primetime schedulling airing day-and-date with Discovery U.S. complementing a wide range of original Canadian content. In addition to the eight jaw-dropping nights in July, Discovery is introducing extra SHARK WEEK programming in August, making 2015 the "Summer of the Shark".

**Media Note** Photography for "Shark Week 2015" available online at BellMediaPR.ca. 

The following are highlights from SHARK WEEK (Note: all programming subject to change; some scheduling to be announced):

SHARK WEEK ON DAILY PLANET
Sunday, July 5, to Friday, July 10 at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT
Co-hosts Ziya Tong and Dr. Dan Riskin return to anchor Canada's SHARK WEEK on DAILY PLANET. Featuring dozens of original shark science stories and content from nearly every inch of the world's oceans, each episode spotlights the world's biggest, most enigmatic species of sharks – the megamouth, goblin shark, edestus shark, angel shark, tiger shark, and much more. Highlights from the week's story lineup includes an unbelievable capture of a great white; a dive down under to meet the "alien of the deep"; an introduction to "Shark Girl", Madison Stewart; the Usain Bolt of sharks; a trip to Bimini, Bahamas with Andy Brandy Casagrande, a shark cameraman who captures the world's closest encounters; and a hunt in Québec to find the world's deepest and unknown sharks. (Note: a detailed announcement with DAILY PLANET's best day-by-day highlights will soon be issued.)

TIBURONES: THE SHARKS OF CUBA (WT)
It's been 70 years since the largest great white shark was caught off the Cuban coast, a 21-foot great white named "El Monstruo". Viewers follow a shark expedition in Cuba that brings together American and Cuban scientists searching for a great white shark population in an unexplored area of the world, untouched by humans for decades. 

NINJA SHARKS
An exploration of six sharks with unique adaptations that have evolved over millions of years, making them the most lethal hunters in the sea.

MONSTER MAKO
Mako sharks are the fastest of all species of shark in the world. They live in warm waters, colder temperatures, in the depths of the ocean, and close to shore in shallow waters. However, little is known about the large mako sharks that live in the Gulf of Mexico. Scientists outfit a mako shark with cameras in order to reveal the mysteries of their swift, immediate, and unseen world. And a rare sighting is caught on film as a mako shark breaches the waters during the expedition.

ALIEN SHARKS: CLOSE ENCOUNTER
Shark researcher and scientist Paul Clerkin heads back into the deepest and darkest unexplored oceans armed with the newest technologies to get as close as possible to some of the most incredible and unusual sharks ever caught on film. In a first ever, a 20-foot mega mouth shark is outfitted with a pop-up satellite tag and filmed off the eastern coast of Taiwan. 

ISLAND OF THE MEGA SHARK
Filmmaker Jeff Kurr, cinematographer Andy Casagrande, and shark wrangler Dickie Chivell travel to the volcanic Pacific island of Guadalupe, off the west coast of Mexico's Baja California peninsula, home to some of the largest great white sharks on earth. The trio search for one of the largest great white sharks ever recorded with new technologies and innovative methods.  

BRIDE OF JAWS
The search for Joan of Shark, the largest female great white ever tagged.

SHARKS OF THE SHADOWLAND
For the first time ever, divers in New Zealand tag a sevengill shark as they are charged with protecting and saving a pristine underwater environment, home to this species of shark. The unique sevengill shark remains somewhat of a mystery and a team of shark experts are on a mission to find out how they hunt, and more importantly, how to better understand their behaviours and prevent shark attacks. 

In addition to the week-long event, for the first time ever, Discovery will continue its shark-themed programming through August, turning 2015 into a summer-long celebration dubbed the 'Summer of the Shark', with special presentations of SHARKNADO 1 and SHARKNADO 2, and the Discovery premiere of SHARNADO 3. And celebrating the most wonderful time of the year on Discovery is a themed SHARK WEEK Collection beginning July 3 on CraveTV, including titles such as HOW SHARKS HUNT, I ESCAPED JAWS, SHARKZILLA, GREAT WHITE HIGHWAY, and more.

Discovery is proud to announce the return of Nissan Rogue as the lead partner of SHARK WEEK, building off of last year's campaign "In Search of Canada's Rogue Shark". This summer, Nissan Rogue journeys to Baie-Comeau, Québec to join Jeffery Gallant, founder of GEERG (Greenland Shark and Elasmobranch Education and Research Group) on an expedition to uncover the elusive greenland shark. A half-hour special of the expedition will make its television debut in August, on Discovery. Shark aficionados are invited to participate in a Twitter conversation with Discovery and Nissan throughout SHARK WEEK, with the chance to win an exclusive Canadian shark experience. And new for this year, Marvel has also signed on as a SHARK WEEK sponsor to promote the theatrical release of Ant-Man which opens on July 17.

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
Discovery Canada on Facebook: facebook.com/discoverycanada
Discovery Canada on Twitter: twitter.com/DiscoveryCanada

About Discovery:
The world is just awesome! With compelling real-life programming that inspires and entertains, Discovery reveals the world in all its wonder, diversity and amazement. As Canada's #1 entertainment specialty channel, Discovery offers a signature mix of adrenaline-charged stories, larger-than-life personalities and vivid imagery for viewers with curious minds. With the best non-fiction programming from Canada and around the world, Discovery captures the excitement of a passion for life – one lived fully and at its most extreme. With exceptional and immersive storytelling, the channel offers in-depth, behind-the-scenes glimpses at the extraordinary people and places that shape our world. Launched in Canada in 1995, Discovery is now available in more than eight million Canadian homes. Discovery is offered in standard definition (SD) and high definition (HD) simulcast – for viewers who want an even bigger and bolder experience. Discovery Canada is a joint venture between Bell Media, which is owned by BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada's largest communications company, and Discovery Communications Inc. Find more information and interactive online features at Discovery.ca.

SOURCE Discovery

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