Animal Planet’s “River Monsters” reeled in the most watched season premiere in the network’s history Sunday.
The series, about extreme angler Jeremy Wade and the deadly fish he catches, caught 1.7 million total viewers in its two-hour sixth season premiere at 9 p.m. on Sunday. That total represents the largest audience Animal Planet has ever received for a season premiere show.
“River Monsters” also ranked as the most watched premiere in network history within the key demographics: 975,000 in the adults 18-49 category and 639,000 in the males 18-49 demo.
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The network also drew one million total viewers for its first live “River Monsters” aftershow, “River Monsters: Live with Jeremy Wade,” at 11 p.m. ET, and cites an 85 percent growth in Twitter activity over the season five premiere.
Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this story stated that “River Monsters” had been renewed for a seventh season. Animal Planet has clarified that its upfront announcement, which listed “River Monsters” as a returning series, referred to the current sixth season.