The United States series Shark Tank, the American counterpart to Dragon's Den, premiered in 2009.
Shark Tank brought the international business-pitch format to American network television, with entrepreneurs presenting companies to a panel of investors who could offer money in exchange for an ownership stake. The investors are known as Sharks, distinguishing the American title from Britain's Dragons.
The year 2009 refers to the premiere of the U.S. series, not the launch of Dragon's Den in Britain or the Japanese origin of the overall format. Britain’s Dragon's Den had already begun several years earlier, while the broader concept had traveled through multiple international adaptations.
Shark Tank subsequently became a major American business-entertainment programme in its own right. Its success helped make the pitch-room format familiar to viewers who may never have watched the British original.