The Science Channel is conducting a not-so-scientific experiment to find out if drones and reality TV can mix into a ratings reaction.
On Friday, July 22, the network premieres Droned, a reality series that “follows a drone company and its high profile clients while exploring the impact of drones, giving audiences a front seat to a technology revolution.” The show will air at 6 pm (EDT).
Droned will follow the ups and downs of Fort Lauderdale-based drone business Pigeon Vision, a company that appears to be brand new to the UAV scene – its website is listed as “Under Construction.”
However, the company and the series may get a publicity boost with a crew of “celebrity drone enthusiasts” that includes reality star Jason Acuña, IndySeries race-car driver Juan Pablo Montoya and 98-Degrees singer/producer Jeff Timmons. A Science Channel press release also promises other celebrity appearances including director/actor Tyler Perry, magician Criss Angel and former NFL player Ryan Hoag.
“Droned is a mixture of evolving technologies and high-octane adventure, the series features search and rescue drones, heavy weather waterproof drones, thermal camera drones for tracking wildlife, drones with image scanning software that can identify sharks and FPV racing drones,” a company spokesperson stated in a press release.
On its maiden voyage Friday, the drone crew will test a rescue aircraft in cooperation with the Ft. Lauderdale Marine Search and Rescue Department as well as attempting to develop a long-range autonomous drone tasked with finding deep-sea game fish like tuna and marlin.
Future shows will highlight drones filming snowboarding and cliff walking, as well as helping sailboat race crews enhance their performance using aerial views.
The premiere of Droned is not the first time UAVs have flown into the basic-cable skies. Last year, the ABC hit show Shark Tank invited xCraft to pitch both of the firm’s Kickstarter darlings — Phone Drone and the X PlusOne. In May, a Bebop 2 made an appearance on the UK TV show Britain’s Got Talent, featuring a drone swarm.
Jason is a longstanding contributor to DroneLife with an avid interest in all things tech. He focuses on anti-drone technologies and the public safety sector; police, fire, and search and rescue.
Beginning his career as a journalist in 1996, Jason has since written and edited thousands of engaging news articles, blog posts, press releases and online content.
Email Jason
TWITTER:@JasonPReagan
Subscribe to DroneLife here.