Shark Tank is the American adaptation of the British television show Dragon's Den.
The US programme uses the same central premise: entrepreneurs pitch businesses to wealthy investors and seek capital in return for an ownership stake. The American version uses “sharks” rather than “Dragons” for its panel members, giving the show its distinctive title.
Shark Tank premiered on ABC in 2009. It was based on the international Dragon's Den format, which itself traces back to the Japanese programme Money Tigers. The adaptation therefore belongs to a chain of television formats rather than being an unrelated invention.
A common mix-up is to treat Shark Tank as the original programme because it became highly prominent in the United States. In fact, the British Dragon's Den began broadcasting in 2005, four years before the American version premiered.