Skyscraper Live
| Skyscraper Live with Nik Wallenda | |
|---|---|
Wallenda walking from Marina City to the Leo Burnett Building
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| Presented by | |
| Starring | Nik Wallenda |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
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| Location(s) | Chicago, US |
| Production company(s) | Peacock Productions |
| Release | |
| Original network | Discovery Channel |
| Original release | November 2, 2014 |
| External links | |
| [skyscraperlive |
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Skyscraper Live with Nik Wallenda is a Discovery Channel special that aired on November 2, 2014. The special was billed as a highwire walk by Nik Wallenda across the city of Chicago in the United States. Specifically, he walked wires between three skyscrapers "all of which are taller than the Washington Monument." On one of the walks, he was blindfolded; on the other the wire was at a 19 degree incline.
The event was broadcast live on the Discovery Channel in the United States and in over 220 countries around the world. Viewing figures for the special ranked it as one of the most live watched broadcasts on American television since 2010. An official mobile game, SkyBalance by Nik Wallenda, was also developed by Tapinator, Inc. to coincide with the event. Critical reaction to the event was largely positive.
Even Wallenda's training and preparation for this event received substantial attention.
In the special, highwire artist Nik Wallenda walked along a tightrope between three buildings in Chicago, without a tether or net to catch him if he fell. After completing the first walk, he undertook a second attempt while blindfolded. Wallenda completed the first walk in seven minute, and did the blindfolded walk in a little over a minute. The telecast was on a ten-second delay in case something went wrong with Wallenda's walk.
Nik Wallenda is a seventh generation member of The Flying Wallendas, and this event was billed as an homage to his great-grandfather.
Skyscraper Live was broadcast live in over 200 countries worldwide. It was a ratings success in the United States, ranking as Discovery's most watched live telecast of the year. However, its viewership was less than for their previous Nik Wallenda special, Skywire Live, which delivered Discovery's highest-ever rating for a live broadcast in 2013. The show generated a lot of interest on social media. According to the Nielsen rankings, Skyscraper Live with Nik Wallenda became Discovery Channel's highest rated live telecast of 2014. It had an average of 5.82 million total viewers and the blindfold section of the challenge was watched by 6.72 million people. The show, as a whole, registered an average of 2.17 among 25- to 54-year-olds. The television ratings site TVbytheNumbers confirmed that, excluding last year's Skywire Live, Skyscraper Live was Discovery Channel's most watched telecast since 2010. The telecast also featured a teaser for the then-upcoming Discovery Channel special Eaten Alive.
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