TCA 2019: Nat Geo Wild Goes Live with ‘Animal ER Live’

Nat Geo Wild will go live behind the scenes at animal hospitals in a new series Animal ER Live, debuting in March.

The series, produced by Big Fish Entertainment, premieres March 30 and will follow animal emergencies in real time as they occur at animal hospital and mobile vet emergency units across the country, according to network officials.

Animal ER Live is the third live show originating from Nat Geo Wild, following such series as Safari Live and Yellowstone Live.

Nat Geo Wild’s commitment to series devoted to animal caregivers has been at the core of our success for almost 10 years, and now Animal ER Live is going to take that to another level, delivering our fans the kind of heartwarming and heroic stories they love in a completely fresh and totally live format,” said Geoff Daniels, executive vice president of global unscripted entertainment in a statement. “Building on our track record of going live into the wild with innovative experiences like Safari Live and Yellowstone Live, we’re always looking for new ways to engage our animal-loving audience, which is what makes this collaboration with Big Fish Entertainment the perfect fit.”

R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.