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If you love hammerheads, great whites and all things sharks, you may want to know how to watch Shark Week online for free to learn everything you can about the most dangerous (and misunderstood) predators of the sea.
Shark Week is an annualTV event on the Discovery Channel that features shark-based programming for seven days straight, from documentaries to travel shows. Starting in July 1988, Shark Week has since become the longest-running cable television event in history, with more than 30 years on TV and thousands of hours of shark-based content aired.
In an interview with Digiday in 2014, Michael Sorensen, vice president of development and production at Discovery Channel, explained how Shark Week was born out of audiences’ fascination with sharks. “We have to keep our content and shows diverse,” he said. “Everyone knows AirJaws, but we now have Shark Camp and Alien Sharks. There’s something really innate in the curiosity we have about sharks. People want to know.” He also explained how the network’s strategy to not air a lot of shark content throughout the year keeps the interest in shark week alive. “There’s an audience that grew up with it. Another thing is making sharks scarce: Discovery airs no shark programming outside of Shark Week,” he said.
Matt Denerstein, managing director of investment at media agency Mindshare NA, also told Digiday about how Shark Week is a testament to Discovery Channel’s lasting power. “When a brand is a launching a campaign in August, [working with Shark Week] is one of the first things they think about,” he said. “Discovery is still one of the best options in cable.”
So…where can fans stream Shark Week at no cost? Read on for how to watch Shark Week online for free to see learn everything there is about one of the ocean’s most dangerous predators.
Image: Discovery Channel.
When is Shark Week 2022?
Shark Week 2022 airs on Discovery Channel and Discovery Plus from July 24, 2022, to July 30, 2022.
How to watch Shark Week 2022 online
Shark Week airs on Discovery Channel, which is available to stream on services like Philo TV, Fubo TV, Sling Blue and Hulu+ With Live TV. Philo TV offers a seven-day free trial and costs $25 per month; Sling Blue costs $35 per month but has a current deal that lets new customers subscribe for $17.50 (or 50 percent off) their first month; Fubo TV offers a seven-day free trial and costs $69.99 per month; Hulu+ With Live TV costs $75.99 per month and also comes with free subscriptions to Disney Plus (a value of $7.99 per month) and ESPN Plus (a value of $6.99 per month.)
Shark Week is also available to stream on Discovery Plus, which offers two plans: an ad-supported plan for $4.99 per month and an ad-free plan for $6.99 per month. Discovery Plus also has a current deal, where new customers can subscribe for 99 cents per month for their first two months—an 80 percent savings. Discovery Plus also offers a student plan, which costs $2.99 per month and comes with a seven-day free trial.
How to watch Shark Week 2022 online for free
So how can fans watch Shark Week 2022 online for free? Read on for our tips and tricks to stream Shark Week at no cost.
Philo is, by far, one of the best ways to watch the Shark Week online for free. The service offers a seven-day free trial and more than 60 channels, including Discovery Channel, where fans can watch Shark Week as it airs live . Philo also offers an unlimited DVR feature for those who want to record Yellowstone season 4 to watch episodes over and over again. The service costs $25 per month after the free trial ends, which is still about half the price of other services with Discovery Channel. So if we had to recommend one service to watch Shark Week online, Philo would be the one.
The easiest way to watch Shark Week is on Discovery Plus, which offers two plans: an ad-supported plan for $4.99 per month and an ad-free plan for $6.99 per month. Discovery Plus also has a Discovery Plus also has a current deal, where new customers can subscribe for 99 cents per month for their first two months, which comes out to an 80 percent savings. To watch Shark Week online for free, Discovery Plus also has a current deal where Verizon subscribers with Play More or Get More Unlimited plans can receive a free 12-month subscription of Discovery Plus. Verizon subscribers with Go Unlimited, Beyond Unlimited, Above Unlimited, Do More Unlimited and Stay Unlimited plans can receive a free six-month subscription of Discovery Plus. Visit Verizon’s website for instructions on how to sign up for the service’s free Discovery Plus subscription. While Discovery Plus currently doesn’t have free trials for its ad-supported or ad-free plan, it does offer a seven-day free trial for its Student plan, which costs $2.99 per month after the trial ends.
The best way to watch Shark Week online for free is with Fubo TV’s free trial. Fubo TV offers a seven-day free trial. Along with Discovery Channel, Fubo TV offers more than 100 channels, including ABC, CNN and CBS, at least 250 hour of DVR and a streaming library with hundreds of hours of TV shows and movies. After the free trial ends, Fubo TV costs $69.99 per month, so be sure to cancel it before you’re charged.
Image: Discovery Channel.
What is the Shark Week 2022 schedule?
See below for the full Shark Week 2022 schedule and what each Shark Week program is about, according to the Discovery Channel.
Dawn of the Monster Mako
What it’s about: “A 14-foot Giant Mako is spotted in the waters of the Azores. Underwater cinematographer Joe Romiero and his wife, marine biologist Lauren, search the teeming depths around the ancient islands to capture the beast on film.”
How to watch: Starts streaming July 15, 2022, on Discovery Plus
The Haunting of Shark Tower
What it’s about: “News of a harrowing shark encounter at Frying Pan Tower has Underwater Cinematographer Andy Casagrande and Shark Expert Kori Garza on a dangerous quest to discover if great white sharks hunt in the waters off the coast of North Carolina.”
How to watch: Starts streaming July 15, 2022, on Discovery Plus
Return to Headstone Hell
What it’s about: “Dr. Riley Elliott returns to Norfolk Island with underwater cinematographer Kina Scollay to see what happens when the island’s tiger sharks go head-to-head with migrating great whites over an unusual food source: cow carcasses.”
How to watch: Airs live on July 24, 2022, at 7 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery Channel and Discovery Plus
Great White Battleground
What it’s about: “Michelle Jewel believes the largest population of leaping great whites in South Africa do more than just hunt for their favorite prey. Join Michelle as she embarks on a journey to prove these sharks are breaching to communicate with each other.”
How to watch: Airs live on July 24, 2022, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery Channel and Discovery Plus.
Jackass Shark Week 2.0
What it’s about: “Chris Pontius, Wee Man, Jasper, Dark Shark, Zach Holmes and Poopies are back to finish what they started. After the guys went on a terrifying Shark Week mission last year, the boys head out to get their friend poopies over his fear of sharks.”
How to watch: Airs live on July 24, 2022, at 9 p.m. ET/PT and July 30, 2022, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery Channel and Discovery Plus.
Great White Open Ocean
What it’s about: “In 2020, shark diving expert Jimi Partington nearly dies in the jaws of a great white. A year later, he looks to overcome his PTSD and get back in the water with the ocean’s biggest megasharks. But what starts off as a positive experience, quickly becomes a battle for life and death.”
How to watch: Airs live on July 24, 2022, at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery Channel and Discovery Plus.
Stranger Sharks
What it’s about: “Mark Rober and Noah Schnapp from Stranger Things are teaming up for the ultimate Shark Week adventure — exploring abandoned undersea ruins and manmade artificial reefs searching for the strangest sharks in the ocean.”
How to watch: Airs live onJuly 25, 2022, at 7 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery Channel and Discovery Plus.
Air Jaws: Top Guns
What it’s about: “High-flying sharks are back, but with a new team competing to be the next “top guns” of Air Jaws. Dickie Chivell and Andy Casagrande use the latest high-tech cameras in hopes of capturing new iconic shots that made Air Jaws legendary.”
How to watch: Airs live on July 25, 2022, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery Channel and Discovery Plus.
Great White Serial Killer: Fatal Christmas
What it’s about: “After a surfer dies off Morro Bay, California on Christmas Eve, shark attack investigators Ralph Collier and Brandon McMillan use forensic evidence and eyewitness accounts to ID the suspected killer: an 18-foot great white.”
How to watch: Airs live on July 25, 2022, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery Channel and Discovery Plus.
Rise of the Monster Hammerheads
What it’s about: “Reports of two legendary, very large great hammerheads, Big Moe in the Florida Keys and Sunken in Andros, Bahamas, have Dr. Tristan Guttridge and Andy Casagrande wondering if there is a clan of monster hammerheads who share the same DNA.”
How to watch: Airs live on July 25, 2022, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery Channel and Discovery Plus.
Mega Predators of Oz
What it’s about: “In South Australia, a fisherman found a half-eaten mako and shark experts say only one species is responsible. Using underwater ultrasound imagery, tissue sampling and collecting DNA, they will prove that the great white is the ultimate MEGA PREDATOR.”
How to watch: Airs live on July 25, 2022, at 11 p.m. on Discovery Channel and Discovery Plus.
Extinct of Alive Jaws of Alaska
What it’s about: “International wildlife biologist Forrest Galante travels the world in search of rare and elusive wildlife, including those lost to science, and mysterious cold-water sharks.”
How to watch: Airs live on July 26, 2022, at 7 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery Channel and Discovery Plus.
Impractical Jokers Shark Week Spectacular
What it’s about: “The Impractical Jokers are the kings of hijinx and fearless in the face of public humiliation, but what happens when they set out to dispel the myth that sharks are man-eating beasts the only way they know how – WITH EXTREME, MORTIFYING DARES.”
How to watch: Airs live on July 26, 2022, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery Channel and Discovery Plus, and July 28, 2022, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on TruTV.
Jaws vs Kraken
What it’s about: “Something shocking is happening in the abyss around Guadalupe Island. Photos of great whites with strange scars believed to be from giant squids have surfaced. Dr. Tristan Guttridge leads a mission to get a glimpse into the battles between the two beasts.”
How to watch: Airs live on July 26, 2022, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery Channel and Discovery Plus.
Pig vs Shark
What it’s about: “The famous swimming pigs of the Bahamas may be in peril. Some believe that the local tiger shark population have acquired a taste for pork and may be feasting on these famous oink-sters.”
How to watch: Airs live on July 26, 2022, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery Channel and Discovery Plus.
Raging Bulls
What it’s about: “Bull sharks are one of Australia’s “Big 3″ deadly shark species, and recently, there’s been a shift in their behavior concerning the human population. Paul De Gelder joins Johan Gustafson to uncover why these sharks are becoming more aggressive hunters.”
How to watch: Airs live on July 26, 2022, at 11 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery Channel and Discovery Plus.
Islands of the Walking Sharks
What it’s about: “Animal Planet’s International wildlife conservationist and biologist Forrest Galante travels the world in search of new and mysterious species of sharks, as well as forgotten or unseen creatures that have been misidentified or declared extinct.”
How to watch: Airs live on July 27, 2022, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery Channel and Discovery Plus.
Mechashark: Love Down Under
What it’s about: “Shark expert Kina Scollay and his elite team return with a unique one-man-submersible, the Mechashark, to a top-secret location off New Zealand attempting to do something that’s never been done: locate a Great White shark mating ground.”
How to watch: Airs live on July 27, 2022, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery Channel and Discovery Plus.
Mission Shark Dome
What it’s about: “A team of shark experts uses new dive technology to get closer to sharks like never before. Dr. Austin Gallagher and Andre Musgrove enter the Shark Dome to allow them to dive without noisy scuba equipment to locate an elusive great white pupping zone.”
How to watch: Airs live on July 27, 2022, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery Channel and Discovery Plus.
Great White Comeback
What it’s about: “In 2017, one of the strangest ocean mysteries occurred in South Africa when an entire great white shark population disappeared overnight. Alison Towner and her team head out on an epic investigation to find the missing great whites of Seal Island.”
How to watch: Airs live on July 27, 2022, at 11 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery Channel and Discovery Plus.
Tracy Morgan Presents: Sharks! with Tracy Morgan
What it’s about: “Tracy Morgan teams up with shark experts throughout the country to identify the craziest and most ferocious sharks in the ocean. From rare species to stealth predators, Tracy shows off his favorite sharks and their incredible capabilities and adaptations.”
How to watch: Airs live on July 28, 2022, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery Channel and Discovery Plus.
What it’s about: “After great whites started washing up dead in South Africa, Dickie Chivell spent years building and testing an undersea “Shark House” to find out why. Now, ready to deploy, he’s not just looking for answers, he’s looking for survivors too.”
How to watch: Airs live on July 27, 2022, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery Channel and Discovery Plus.
Monster Mako Under the Rig
What it’s about: “A team of researchers have discovered a mysterious group of mako sharks of the Gulf of Mexico who migrate around Florida and up to Rhode Island. They call these makos Mavericks. Now, the teams are trying to discover what sets them apart from other makos.”
How to watch: Airs live on July 28, 2022, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery Channel and Discovery Plus.
Tiger Queen
What it’s about: “The shark population in Turks and Caicos has a sizable concentration of female tiger sharks, leaving scientists wondering where all the males are hiding. Shark enthusiast Kinga Philipps joins Dr. Austin Gallagher to help solve this puzzling mystery.”
How to watch: Airs live on July 28, 2022, at 11 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery Channel and Discovery Plus.
Jaws vs the Blob
What it’s about: “A new ocean phenomenon known as The Blob sends juvenile Great White sharks straight into a feeding frenzy for monster 20ft adults off the coast of Guadalupe Island. A team of shark experts dives deep to discover if the young sharks survive or become a snack.”
How to watch: Airs live on July 28, 2022, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery Channel and Discovery Plus.
Clash of Killers: Great White vs Mako
What it’s about: “Scientist Dr. Riley Elliott is tracking two of the ocean’s most legendary apex predators – great whites and makos – as they head on a collision course during their yearly migration off the coast of New Zealand.”
How to watch: Airs live on July 29, 2022, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery Channel and Discovery Plus.
What it’s about: “Alison Towner has risked her life many times, studying the migration patterns and tagging white sharks in South Africa for the past decade. This spectacular adventure with the next generation of shark explorers, Alison, and her all-female crew will pull all the stops – cage dive, free dive, deploy drones and decoys, and more – to find her missing white sharks.”
How to watch: Airs live on July 29, 2022, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery Channel and Discovery Plus.
The Great Hammerhead Stakeout
What it’s about: “Dr. Tristan Guttridge and James Glancy travel to Andros Island to investigate reports of an exclusive population of giant hammerheads. To get answers, they attempt one of the longest shark dives ever upwards of 10 hours using an underwater habitat.”
How to watch: Airs live on July 29, 2022, at 11 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery Channel and Discovery Plus.
Monsters of the Cape
What it’s about: “Shark Week Veterans Dr. Craig O’Connell and Mark Rackley dive into the great white-infested waters off of Cape Cod looking to test cutting-edge shark deterrents to help keep the waters of the Cape safe for both beach-goers and sharks, before it’s too late.”
How to watch: Airs live on July 30, 2022, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery Channel and Discovery Plus.
What it’s about: “Shark conservationist Kinga Philipps and scientist Tristan Guttridge embark on an expedition through the remote Islands of Tahiti to investigate whether local legends and mysteries about massive tiger sharks are true.”
How to watch: Airs live on July 30, 2022, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery Channel and Discovery Plus.
What it’s about: “YouTube star, NASA engineer and inventor Mark Rober teams up with marine biologist Luke Tipple to test the theory that sharks can smell human blood from a mile away. They get surprising results from three species of shark, using cutting-edge electronics.”
How to watch: Airs live on July 30, 2022, at 11:30 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery Channel and Discovery Plus.
Shark Week airs on Discovery Channel and Discovery Plus from July 24, 2022, to July 30, 2022. Here’s how to watch it for free.
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