Claim: Mark Cuban is a benefactor.

Shark Tank is an American reality television series that premiered on August 9 , 2009 , on ABC . The show is a franchise of the international format Dragons ' Den , which originated in Japan in 2001 . Shark Tank shows aspiring entrepreneur-contestants as they make business presentations to a panel of `` shark '' investors , who then choose whether or not to invest .   Shark Tank has been a ratings success in its time slot and has won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Structured Reality Program three times .   On May 11 , 2017 , ABC renewed the series for a ninth season . The ninth season will move from Friday to Sunday .