Turns out the Warner Bros. Discovery merger might be okay, actually. Thanks to the adorable event being simulcast across the media conglomerate’s platforms, Puppy Bowl XIX brought in huge ratings for the canine gridiron competition. The event didn’t even have Rihanna to perform at halftime, and yet, the adorable pups still managed to lock down the top spot as the “#1 non-sports cable telecast of the day.”
Again, it didn’t hurt that the Puppy Bowl was available across Animal Planet, Discovery Channel, TBS, HBO Max, and discovery+, but those are still pretty big numbers going up against the Super Bowl.
“One of the reasons we were excited about the many synergy opportunities that came with the Warner Bros. Discovery merger is that with this unique collection of brands we could experiment with cross-platform content sharing and explore new, creative ways to attract more viewers,” said Julie Taylor, Chief of Content Strategy & Insights, US Networks. “We simulcast on multiple platforms, leveraged sports stars to rally fans, showcased talent from Discovery, HGTV, Travel Channel, Food Network and New Line Cinema’s “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” to enhance the viewer experience. These strategies helped us build bigger buzz and expand Puppy Bowl’s viewership by more than 3.6 million this year.”
Puppy Bowl XIX also cleaned up on social media where it was the “#1 most social program among cable networks,” not counting sports, obviously. The event also reached #3 in Trending on Twitter and racked up more than 420 million TikTok views. This just goes to prove what we’re always saying: Let dogs compete in the NFL. It’s time.