THE BALLOON MAN

Wallenda to watch and discuss walk on Discovery

 

Nik Wallenda nears the completion of his Grand Canyon wirewalk on Sunday in Arizona. (Tiffany Brown / AP Images for Discovery Communications)
from:  heraldtribune.com
STAFF REPORT
June 26, 2013
Discovery Channel is not done yet with Nik Wallenda — or the relatively huge ratings his walk across the Grand Canyon drew Sunday night.

The cable channel plans to air another program at 8 p.m. on Sunday where Wallenda will watch his 1,500-foot-high walk across the chasm and discuss it.
Discovery is billing it as the “first time” that Wallenda has watched the crossing from start to finish.
“What was going through his mind? And were there ever moments of doubt?” the network asked breathlessly in a statement about this latest program.
Discovery said Wallenda will “provide a step-by-step account of what he was thinking and experiencing physically with each movement. This special presentation will give viewers insight into one of the most talked about events of the year.”
The network has appeared ecstatic about the results of Wallenda's walk, announcing this week that its broadcast of “Skywire Live with Nik Wallenda” was the top program in all of television during the weekend.
The two-hour program attracted more viewers than CBS' “60 Minutes,” Game 5 of the Stanley Cup playoffs and the premiere of “Crossing Lines,” both on NBC, HBO's “True Blood” and the season finale of “Mad Men” on AMC.
The network previously reported that nearly 13 million people tuned in by the end of Wallenda's 23-minute walk across the canyon, and that an average of more than 10 million watched the entire broadcast.
The special event also became the “most social Sunday non-sports/non-award show telecast ever,” Discovery reported, citing Bluefin Signals, which tracks social media.
The show generated 1.3 million Tweets.