ANIMAL PLANET FINDS BIG AUDIENCE IN SEASON TWO DEBUT OF "FINDING BIGFOOT," SNARING 1.6 MILLION BELIEVERS

-- Premiere Episode is Series' Most-Watched and Network's Second-Best Debut Ever -

(January 4, 2012, New York, New York) - The season premiere of Animal Planet's FINDING BIGFOOT on Sunday night - where some members of the Bigfoot Field Research Organization investigated evidence of a "baby" Bigfoot right outside of New York City - unearthed 1.6 million P2+ viewers and ranks as the series' most-watched episode ever and second-best season debut ever among P25-54 (861K) and M25-54 (475K), only trailing hit series RIVER MONSTERS.

The debut exceeded the first season of FINDING BIGFOOT's performance by double-digits across all key demos: P2+ +34% (1.6M vs. 1.2M); P25-54 +41% (861K vs. 612K); P18-49 +47% (812K vs. 554K); M25-54 +24% (475K vs. 382K); W25-54 +69% (386K vs. 229K). FINDING BIGFOOT helped Animal Planet rank second tied among all ad-supported cable networks with a 1.0 M25-54 rating in the 10 PM hour.

Animal Planet's FINDING BIGFOOT returned for a brand-new season last Sunday for further expeditions to investigate reports of the mysterious Bigfoot. From small towns in the South to remote areas of the mountain West and dense forest of the Northeast and into Canada, four passionate, driven researchers and adventurers embark on one single-minded mission - to find this beast. BFRO members Matt Moneymaker and James "Bobo" Fay, professional educator Cliff Barackman and skeptical biologist Ranae Holland engage in the ultimate quest in search of proof that Bigfoot really does exist - and that he or she is alive and abundant in North America. By examining photos and videos of the creature, speaking to local witnesses, using new technology and luring the mysterious beast with the team's squatch calls, the group uncovers startling proof of the legendary and highly intelligent enigma that has eluded capture for centuries and fascinated man for just as long, examining photos and videos of the creature, speaking to local witnesses, using new technology and luring the mysterious beast with the team's squatch calls, the group uncovers startling proof of the legendary and highly intelligent enigma that has eluded capture for centuries and fascinated man for just as long.

FINDING BIGFOOT is a produced for Animal Planet by Ping Pong Productions. Brad Kuhlman and Casey Brumels are the executive producers for Ping Pong, and Keith Hoffman is the executive producer for Animal Planet. More information about FINDING BIGFOOT is available at www.animalplanet.com/findingbigfoot.

Animal Planet Media (APM), 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. APM consists of the Animal Planet television network, available in more than 96 million homes in the US; online assets www.animalplanet.com, the ultimate online destination for all things animal; the 24/7 broadband channel, Animal Planet Beyond; Petfinder.com, the #1 pet-related Web property globally that facilitates pet adoption; and other media platforms including a robust Video-on-Demand (VOD) service; mobile content; and merchandising extensions.