PROTECTING THE WILD TV’S TOP WEEKEND WILDLIFE SHOW

June 12, 2024

Emmy® Award-Nominated Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild Celebrates 2023-24 Broadcast Season on NBC as TV’s #1 Weekend Wildlife Series 

Emmy® nominated series Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild celebrates its inaugural 2023-24 broadcast season on NBC as the most-watched weekend wildlife show across broadcast and cable television with an average of more than 1.1 million weekly viewers.  The series is presented by Mutual of Omaha in an exclusive partnership with series producer Hearst Media Production Group (HMPG). 

The series premiered in October 2023 as part of NBC’s “The More You Know” educational and informational programming block, marking the historic return of the pioneering Wild Kingdom franchise to the NBC network 60 years after its original broadcast TV debut. And has earned several awards, including:  

• Four Daytime Emmy® Nominations in the Travel, Adventure, and Nature Program, Writing Team for a Daytime Non-Fiction Program, Directing Team for a Single Camera Daytime Non-fiction Program and Outstanding Music Direction categories. 

• 15 Telly Awards, including Gold Awards in the “Pets & Animals” and “Diversity, Equity & Inclusion” categories. 

• Mutual of Omaha was also recently honored by the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Leadership Foundation with the Corporate Leadership Award for its dedication to community service, corporate social responsibility, and the impact Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom has had on the conservation industry. 

Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild is set to return to NBC for a second season this fall. Co-Hosts Peter Gros and Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant will continue to take viewers across the U.S., along with new international destinations, to highlight some of the most impactful and extraordinary conservation stories.  

“We’re proud of the work we’ve accomplished for Season One and we look forward to Season Two and taking our viewers on even wilder adventures,” said Jennifer Wulf, vice president, brand marketing for Mutual of Omaha. “We’re always driven by our principal to protect the human and wild kingdoms, and we’re excited to  continue inspiring our audiences to do their part in protecting the wildlife and their natural habitats through the iconic series.” 

“Together with Mutual of Omaha and NBC, we’ve successfully reintroduced a beloved piece of television history to new and diverse audiences,” said Bryan Curb, HMPG EVP and general manager, education/information. 

Viewers can continue to watch Season One of Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild weekends on NBC’s “The More You Know” educational and informational programming block, NBC.com and NBC VOD. 

Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild is part of HMPG’s current program portfolio which comprises more than 30 original series and hundreds of hours of content annually on leading broadcast networks and station groups and on connected TV and streaming platforms. HMPG has a library of more than 4,000 hours of programming and its content can be found in 97 countries. 

About Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom
Since its network television premiere in 1963, Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom has been one of the most loved and respected wildlife programs in television history. The Daytime Emmy® nominated Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild, now airing weekends on NBC’s “The More You Know” time block, celebrates stories of conservation success, including the great work of caring, compassionate experts and how they are making a positive impact on the Wild Kingdom. For more information about Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom, visit wildkingdom.com. 

About Mutual of Omaha
Founded in 1909, Mutual of Omaha is a highly rated, Fortune 500 organization offering a variety of insurance and financial products for individuals, businesses, and groups throughout the United States. As a mutual company, Mutual of Omaha is owned by its policyholders and committed to providing outstanding service to its customers. For more information about Mutual of Omaha, visit mutualofomaha.com. 

About Hearst Media Production Group  

Hearst Media Production Group (HMPG), a business unit of Hearst Television, is an independent producer and distributor of original programming for TV stations, broadcast and cable networks and streaming services. HMPG produces hundreds of hours of programming annually across linear, streaming, digital and social media platforms for domestic and international distribution in nearly 100 countries.  Its popular shows include the Emmy® Award-winning educational/informational (E/I) programming blocks airing weekends nationwide including “Weekend Adventure,” on ABC stations; “CBS WKND,” on the CBS Network; “The More You Know,” on the NBC Network; “One Magnificent Morning,” on the CW Network; “Mi Telemundo” on the Telemundo Network and “Go Time” on independent stations. HMPG also produces and/or distributes a diverse slate of other programming and content including Matter of Fact with Soledad O’Brien, America’s #1 nationally syndicated public affairs news magazine; Consumer Reports TV, and the company’s dedicated FAST channels Xplore, The Jack Hanna Channel and Rovr Pets, available on some of the most popular smart TVs and streaming platforms.   HMPG has offices in New York, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C. and Charlotte.  HMPG is represented by United Talent Agency.