Welcome to the Shark Tank board on Investors Hango

Welcome to the Shark Tank board on Investors Hangout!

About Shark Tank

Shark Tank is an American reality TV show (the American adaptation of the Dragons' Den franchise) which premiered on ABC television in August 2009. The show is currently in its fourth season

Description

The series premiered on Japanese TV in 2001, and is known elsewhere around the world as Dragons' Den. Sony Pictures Television, which owned the U.S. rights to the show, shopped it around for five years before it was selected as the next project by Mark Burnett, who was familiar with the series from his visits to England, where his relatives spoke highly of it to him. The series features a panel of entrepreneurs and business executives called "Sharks" who consider offers from other entrepreneurs seeking investments for their business or product.

The show includes a panel of potential investors. Two of the panel members, Robert Herjavec and Kevin O'Leary, have also appeared on the Canadian show, Dragons' Den. Other past and present members of the panel include: Barbara Corcoran, Daymond John, Kevin Harrington, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, comedian Jeff Foxworthy and Lori Greiner.

History

Shark Tank Season 1 premiered on Sunday, August 9, 2009 and aired fourteen episodes through January 2010. In August 2010 it was renewed for a second season. Season 2 premiered with a “sneak peek” episode on Sunday, March 20, 2011 before resuming its regular Friday night time slot on March 25, 2011. Season 2 had nine episodes, five of them featuring new panel members. Comedian Jeff Foxworthy and Mark Cuban replaced panel member Kevin Harrington for three episodes.

Shark Tank' s third season premiered Friday, January 20, 2012. Kevin Harrington was replaced by Mark Cuban, and the "Queen of QVC" Lori Greiner filled in for Barbara Corcoran on four episodes. On February 27, 2012, ABC ordered two additional episodes for Season 3 using un-aired footage which brings the season's episode total to 15. On May 10, 2012, Shark Tank was renewed for a fourth season, consisting of 24 episodes. This is the first time the series has received a full season order.

By 2012 the show was averaging 7 million viewers an episode, making it the most watched program on Friday nights in the 18-49-year old demographic. As a result, ABC added three more episodes to the original season order of 22. TV Guide reported that the show's panel members had invested $12.4 million in the business opportunities presented to them during that season. Those whose business ideas were not selected for investment also benefited from the publicity generated by the show. Those who appear on the show are required to give 5 percent of the company's equity to Mark Burnett Productions and 36,076 people applied to present their business ideas in the 2012 season. In July 2012 the show was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in the Outstanding Reality Program category.