Shark Tank (Australian TV series)

Shark Tank is an Australian reality competition television series that premiered on 8 February 2015 and aired until 7 August 2018 on Network Ten, in which aspiring entrepreneur-contestants made business presentations to a panel of "Shark" investors.[2] Shark Tank was filmed at Disney Studios Australia.

Shark Tank
GenreReality
Directed byRandall Churchill
Presented bySarah Harris (S1–4)
StarringSee investors
Narrated by
Country of originAustralia
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons5
No. of episodes61
Production
Production locationsSydney, New South Wales
Running time60 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkNetwork Ten
Release8 February 2015 (2015-02-08) –
present (present)

Four seasons of the program were aired. It was announced on 31 October 2018 that the show would not return for a fifth season in 2019.[3]

In March 2023, it was announced the series would return to Network 10 later in the year, with a new panel of investors to be confirmed, and will be produced by Curio Pictures.[1][4] On 22 March 2023, Network 10 announced the new panel of investors.[5][6] The fifth season premiered on 29 August 2023.[7] In October 2023, the series was renewed by 10 for a sixth season, which premiered on 16 October 2024.[8][9]

Season overview

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Season Episodes Originally aired
Season premiere Season finale
1 15 8 February 2015 7 June 2015
2 13 8 May 2016 7 July 2016
3 13 20 June 2017 19 September 2017
4 13 15 May 2018 7 August 2018
5 8 29 August 2023 17 October 2023
6 TBA 16 October 2024 TBA

Overview

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Hosted by Sarah Harris, the show featured a panel of multimillionaire investors called "Sharks" who listened to entrepreneurs pitch businesses or products they wished to develop. If one or more Sharks were interested, investment deals could be made on the show. However, if all sharks declined, contestants left with nothing. A 2018 investigation by Fairfax Media revealed that during the 2017 season, fifty pitches resulted in twenty-seven deals, of which only four actually closed.[10]

Shark Tank has been described as demonstrating "the drama of pitch meetings and the interaction between the entrepreneurs and tycoons."[11] Sharks were compensated for their participation but invested their own money.[12]

History

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Shark Tank was the second Australian series to be based on the show format. A previous unsuccessful adaptation, Dragons' Den (2005), aired on the Seven Network.[13]

Shark Tank premiered on 8 February 2015 and aired 15 episodes through to 7 June 2015 with a regular timeslot of 8:00pm Sunday. It was renewed for a second season in the season finale. Season 2 premiered in 2016 with Glen Richards replacing John McGrath as a panelist. The series was renewed for a third season that began airing on 20 June 2017.[14]

Timeline of sharks

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Sharks Seasons
1 2 3 4 5 6
Steve Baxter
(Internet pioneer)
Main
Janine Allis
(Boost Juice)
Main
Andrew Banks
(Talent2)
Main
Naomi Simson
(RedBalloon)
Main
John McGrath
(McGrath Estate Agents)
Main
Dr. Glen Richards
(Greencross Vets)[15]
Main
Sabri Suby
(King Kong Digital Marketing Agency)
Main
Catriona Wallace
(Responsible Metaverse Alliance)
Main
Davie Fogarty
(Davie Group)
Main
Jane Lu
(Showpo)
Main
Robert Herjavec
(Herjavec Group)
Main
Nick Bell
(Tech Entrepreneur)
Main
Maxine Horne
(Vita Group)
Main

Season ratings

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Season Timeslot Episodes Premiere Finale Season Average
1 Sunday 8:00pm 15 8 February 2015 7 June 2015 649,000
2 Various 13 8 May 2016 7 July 2016 568,000
3 Various 13 20 June 2017 19 September 2017 530,000
4 Tuesday 8:30pm 13 15 May 2018 7 August 2018 522,000
5 Tuesday 7:30pm 8 29 August 2023 17 October 2023 243,000
6 Wednesday 8:50pm (week 1), Wednesday 7:30pm (from week 2) TBA 16 October 2024 TBA TBA

References

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  1. ^ a b Knox, David (2 March 2023). "Shark Tank returning to 10". TV Tonight. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  2. ^ Knox, David (1 September 2014). "TEN confirms Shark Tank for 2015". TV Tonight. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  3. ^ Lallo, Michael (31 October 2018). "Network Ten in 2019: What's new, what's returning, what's gone?". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  4. ^ Laidlaw, Kyle (2 March 2023). "Channel 10 announces return of competition series Shark Tank Australia for a new season in 2023". TV Blackbox. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  5. ^ Knox, David (22 March 2023). "Meet the new Shark Tank bosses". TV Tonight. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  6. ^ "Shark Tank: Channel 10 reveals the Sharks circling Australian businesses". Mediaweek. 22 March 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  7. ^ Knox, David (15 August 2023). "Returning: Shark Tank S5". TV Tonight. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  8. ^ "2024 Upfronts: 10 / Paramount+ | TV Tonight". tvtonight.com.au. 24 October 2023. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  9. ^ "Here's What's Still To Come On 10 In 2024". 10 play. 17 May 2024. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  10. ^ Waters, Cara (17 May 2018). "'I'm out': Shark Tank bites fail to net deal once show goes to air". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  11. ^ Lewis, Hilary (31 March 2009). "ABC To Humiliate Entrepreneurs On National TV". Business Insider (Australia). Archived from the original on 10 April 2013. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
  12. ^ Ten, Network. "About - Shark Tank". TenPlay - About - Shark Tank. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  13. ^ Lee, Ada (29 January 2015). "Reality TV show Shark Tank is where entrepreneurs sink or swim". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  14. ^ Knox, David (29 January 2015). "Returning: Shark Tank 2017". TV Tonight.
  15. ^ Knox, David (2 November 2015). "New Shark enters TEN's Tank". TV Tonight. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
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