RIVER MONSTERS SEASON SEVEN PREMIERE RANKS AS THE MOST WATCHED ANIMAL PLANET SEASON OPENER EVER AMONG P25-54

- Animal Planet Reels In 1.9 Million P2+ Viewers for RIVER MONSTERS

- Network Triggers an Eighth RIVER MONSTERS Season, Entirely Dedicated to Creatures of the Sea -

(New York, April 12, 2015) - RIVER MONSTERS debuted on Animal Planet last Sunday with a monstrous season premiere, ranking as the most-watched River Monsters opener - and most-watched season premiere ever on the network - among P25-54 in ratings (1.2) and delivery (1.15M) based on Live+3 data, which includes three days of time-shifted viewing. The season opener, "Canadian Horror," reeled in 1.9M P2+ viewers, 1.3M HH and 1.1M P18-49 in L+3.

The River Monsters season seven debut also ranked as the number one ad supported cable telecast in the Sunday 9 PM (ET/PT) timeslot among M18-49 delivery and ranked #3 in cable across the entire night (L3, excluding sports). Following the season premiere the RIVER MONSTERS AFTERSHOW drew in a strong 1.6M P2+ viewers.

RIVER MONSTERS will return in 2016 with and eighth season devoted entirely to beasts that lurk in the depths of the sea. Jeremy Wade, freshwater detective, biologist and extreme angler, will venture to places such as Bermuda, Australia and Mexico to uncover which tales of salt water predators are fact and which are fiction.

In the season premiere, "Canadian Horror," Wade sought to find the reason why boaters and fisherman were vanishing into thin air and the accused beast is described as a giant eel-like serpent. A fruitless search for this elusive predator sends Jeremy close to the edge, after nearly 13,000 casts, his determination borders on obsession as he waits for just one fated bite.

Animal Planet's RIVER MONSTERS airs Sundays at 9 PM (ET/PT). The series is a weekly murder mystery, following Wade's worldwide search for harrowing tales of man-eating fish with the hope of proving these freshwater mysteries as tall tales or frightening facts.

RIVER MONSTERS is a co-production of Icon Films and Animal Planet. Harry and Laura Marshall are the executive producers for Icon Films, and Andie Clare is the series producer. For Animal Planet, Lisa Lucas is the executive producer, and Patrick Keegan is the producer. RIVER MONSTERS was developed and created by Animal Planet's Charlie Foley.

Animal Planet, a multi-media business unit of Discovery Communications, is the world's only entertainment brand that immerses viewers in the full range of life in the animal kingdom with rich, deep content via multiple platforms and offers animal lovers and pet owners access to a centralized online, television and mobile community for immersive, engaging, high-quality entertainment, information and enrichment. Animal Planet consists of the Animal Planet television network, available in more than 95 million homes in the US; online assets: www.animalplanet.com, the ultimate online destination for all things animal; Animal Planet L!VE, the go-to digital destination for round-the-clock, unfiltered access to the animal kingdom; and other media platforms including a robust Video-on-Demand (VOD) service, and merchandising extensions.