Shark Tank (Australian TV series)

Hosted by Sarah Harris, the show featured a panel of multimillionaire investors called "Sharks" who listened to entrepreneurs pitch businesses or products they wished to develop. If one or more Sharks were interested, investment deals could be made on the show. However, if all sharks declined, contestants left with nothing. A 2018 investigation by Fairfax Media revealed that during the 2017 season, fifty pitches resulted in twenty-seven deals, of which only four actually closed.^[3]

Shark Tank has been described as demonstrating "the drama of pitch meetings and the interaction between the entrepreneurs and tycoons."^[4] Sharks were compensated for their participation but invested their own money.^[5]

Shark Tank was the second Australian series to be based on the show format. A previous unsuccessful adaptation, Dragons' Den, aired on the Seven Network in 2005.^[6]

Shark Tank premiered on 8 February 2015 and aired 15 episodes through to 7 June 2015 with a regular timeslot of 8:00pm Sunday. It was renewed for a second season in the season finale. Season 2 premiered in 2016 with Glen Richards replacing John McGrath as a panelist. The series was renewed for a third season that began airing on 20 June 2017.^[7]

In March 2023, it was announced the series would return to Network 10 later in the year, with a new panel of investors, and to be produced by Curio Pictures.^[1][8] On 22 March 2023, Network 10 announced the new panel of investors.^[9][10] The fifth season premiered on 29 August 2023.^[11] In October 2023, the series was renewed by 10 for a sixth season, which premiered on 16 October 2024.^[12][13]