How Long are Shark Tank Episodes?

How Long are Shark Tank Episodes?

If you are wondering, how long are Shark Tank episodes? The short answer is one hour. However, due to commercial interruptions, most tapings of the show, without the ads, are a bit over 40 minutes. All of the episodes follow the same format.

Typically, there is an intro of the sharks, an announcer gives a blurb of their bios or some salient tact about their businesses, and then the pitches begin. Uninterrupted, the pitches last about 10 minutes each.

Intros and bios of the sharks and any guest sharks

It’s amazing to learn more about what goes on behind the scenes when it comes to filming the hit show Shark Tank. Because of the sharks’ various other commitments, the episodes are recorded using a compressed time schedule. At the start of each episode, we see the sharks in their respective chairs preparing to meet that episode’s entrepreneurs.

While regular viewers of the program may be familiar with the sharks and their business acumen, causal viewers will benefit from these introductions.

Additionally, because the intros can change from week to week, even the biggest Shark Tank fans can learn something new about their faves. This is a fun part of every episode and provides viewers a little more insight into how their favorite sharks operate.

Once the regular sharks have had their introductions, it’s time to learn about any guest sharks who may be joining the episode. While guest sharks are pretty well known in their respective business communities and industries, they may be completely unknown to regular folks.

These intros usually include a blurb about their business success and sometimes even personal tidbits. This info allows viewers to get a sense of what type of shark they may be, and how they will react to the various pitches included in the episode.

The addition of guest sharks adds a bit of fun to the episodes that they appear on. In many cases, like the interaction between Mark Cuban and Richard Branson, there is a high level of competition that keeps things interesting!

The guest sharks may start out feeling a bit shy and reserved at first, but before too long, they are getting into it with the entrepreneurs and the other sharks too! A lot of business people may tune in to the episode because they are familiar with a guest shark, but otherwise don’t know much about the program. Boy are they in for a treat!

Now that the pleasantries and introductions are out of the way, the episode will move on to the best part; the pitches!

Pitches by the hopeful entrepreneurs

Because only 80% of the pitches that make all the way to the presentation stage make it on air, there is a lot of editing that goes on behind the scenes! Each pitch that is aired lasts for about 10 minutes. In some episodes, there will be some “quickies” that are abbreviated pitches, because the sharks have absolutely no interest in the business!

Generally speaking, viewers can expect three or so full pitches per episode. Following the pitch, there is time for questions from the sharks. This is usually the most thrilling part of the program. Once the pitch is made, that is when things get interesting! The sharks want to make sure that the participants know what they’re talking about.

The sharks generally ask a lot of questions about money-related topics. They want to know how much revenue the companies have made to date, what the profit margin is, and how the entrepreneurs hope to grow their businesses.

Beware the participant that doesn’t have these answers ready to go! There are many examples of sharks just blowing some of these pitches out of the water before declaring that they are OUT.

Extra content is shown at the end of some of the programs

In some cases, there is extra content that is shown at the end of a program. If you love this type of content, you should check out the episodes and behind-the-scenes clips that are available on the ABC website. Some of the most interesting “extra” content that occurs at the end of an episode is when they visit some past participants.

Everyone wants to know what happens after a Shark Tank deal is made. In these clips, there is a brief intro that describes the business and how their Shark Tank pitch went. Then, viewers get a behind-the-scenes peek at how the company has fared since appearing on the program. Most of the snippets that are aired in this manner show the sharks visiting the company.

The participants will walk the shark through their production or another area of their business. They will let them know what’s been going on since they were on the show. Then, they’ll talk about how they’ve used the shark’s investment to grow and improve their company. This is probably one of the best parts of the entire Shark Tank concept.

Seeing people succeed with help from the sharks is always very exciting. And, you can tell that the sharks are excited too. They seem to genuinely share in the business owners’ excitement. They’re excited too! Surprisingly, it’s not just about the money for the sharks.

They are very happy to see that they’ve played a part in a budding entrepreneur’s success. In addition to being able to catch a glimpse of these behind-the-scenes moments at the end of a few episodes, these clips are also available online.

Adjusting for commercial breaks, an episode that airs over an hour-long period is generally about 43 minutes in length. So, if you are watching a live airing of Shark Tank, plan on an hour for your viewing pleasure!

There is a lot that goes on in each episode, and you can be sure that you will be entertained every minute! Shark Tank fans love having the ability to watch episodes both live and on demand. How do you like to watch Shark Tank?