Animal Lovers Get a Holiday Treat

Nat Geo Wild and Animal Planet are looking to make sure viewers get their _ill of wildlife-themed programming during the holidays with special original stunt programming.

Nat Geo Wild will give feline lovers programming to feast on during the Thanksgiving holiday with 10 days of big-event, original programming fare, including its annual “Big Cat Week” and the premiere of several Disney-produced wildlife films, network general manager and executive vice president Geoff Daniels said.

“Nat Geo Wild’s audience has a real passion for big cats, so Thanksgiving is the perfect time of year to give them an extra helping of these majestic animals,” Daniels told Multichannel News.

“Big Cat Week,” which debuts Nov. 27 and runs through Dec. 2, will feature five new shows and Safari Live, a special featuring a live feed from South Africa’s Sabi Sands Park, according to the network.

Other new original specials include Cougars Undercover (Nov. 27), The Lakeshore Killers (Nov. 28); Cat Fight (Nov. 29); The Ultimate Predator (Nov. 29) and Big Cat Games (Dec. 2).

Animal Planet will ring in the Christmas season with a several holiday-themed series episodes. They will roll out over 18 days, Dec. 14 through Jan. 1.

“Wild Winter Nights” will feature holiday-oriented episodes of such popular Animal Planet series as The Last Alaskans, Monsters Inside Me, Treehouse Masters, Pit Bulls & Parolees and Tanked.

R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.