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National Geographic (American TV channel)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"National Geographic Channel" redirects here. For other uses, seeNational Geographic Channel (disambiguation).
National Geographic
National Geographic Channel logo
CountryUnited States
Broadcast areaWorldwide
Nationwide
HeadquartersManhattan, New York City,U.S.
Programming
Picture format720pHDTV
(downscaled to480ifor theSDTVfeed)
Ownership
OwnerThe Walt Disney Company(73%)andNational Geographic Society(27%)
ParentNational Geographic Global Networks(Disney EntertainmentandNational Geographic Partners)
Sister channels
History
LaunchedJanuary 7, 2001;23 years ago(2001-01-07)
Former namesNational Geographic Channel (2001–2016)
Links
Websitenatgeotv
Availability
Streaming media
Affiliated Streaming ServiceDisney+
Service(s)YouTube TV,Hulu + Live TV,Sling TV,FuboTV,Vidgo,DirecTV Stream

National Geographic(formerlyNational Geographic Channel;abbreviated and trademarked asNat GeoorNat Geo TV) is an Americanpay televisionnetworkandflagship channelowned by theNational Geographic Global Networksunit ofDisney EntertainmentandNational Geographic Partners,a joint venture betweenThe Walt Disney Company(73%) and theNational Geographic Society(27%),[1][2]with the operational management handled byDisney Entertainment.[3]

The flagship channel airs non-fiction television programs produced by National Geographic and other production companies. LikeHistory(which is 50% owned by Disney throughA&E Networks) andDiscovery Channel,the channel featuresdocumentarieswith factual content involvingnature,science, culture, and history, plus somerealityandpseudo-scientificentertainment programming[citation needed].Its primary sister network worldwide, including the United States, isNat Geo Wild,which focuses on animal-related programming, including the popularDog Whisperer with Cesar Millan.

As of November 2023,Nat Geo is available to approximately 70,000,000 pay television households in the United States-down from its 2016 peak of 91,000,000 households.[4]

Overview[edit]

In the United States, under leadership of its presidentTim T. Kelly,[5]the National Geographic Channel launched on January 7, 2001,[6]as a joint venture ofNational Geographic Television & FilmandFox Cable Networks.National Geographic provides programming expertise and the Fox Networks Group provides its expertise ondistribution,marketing, and advertising sales.

National Geographic Channel logo (2004–2013)

The '90s: The Last Great Decade,a documentary series narrated byRob Lowe,pulled in 1.10 million viewers, and was the second highest-rated July telecast in the National Geographic Channel rating history.The 2000s: A New Reality,also narrated by Lowe, premiered on July 12, 2015.[7]

On November 14, 2016, National Geographic Channel was renamed as simply National Geographic, dropping the "Channel" from its name.

On December 14, 2017, in adeal,The Walt Disney Companyannounced it would buy the majority of21st Century Fox.Disney would assume control of Fox's controlling stake in the National Geographic partnership thereafter.[8]Following the acquisition, National Geographic and its sister channels were folded intoWalt Disney Television,with the president of the National Geographic Partners reporting directly to the Walt Disney Television chairman.[9]Disney officially closed the deal on March 20, 2019, having then added Nat Geo into its portfolio of networks.[2]

On September 15, 2023,Byron Allenmade a $10B bid to buy ABC, FX & National Geographic asBob Igerclaimed it 'may not be core' to Disney.[10]On November 29, 2023, Iger announced he was no longer interested in selling Disney's linear TV assets, effectively rejecting Bryon Allen's offer.[11]

TV series[edit]

Main article:List of National Geographic original programming

National Geographic Channel's TV series, in Alpha betical order:

Theme fanfare music[edit]

The National Geographic Channel's signature themefanfaremusic, which is played at the beginning of many of the channel's television programs, was composed byElmer Bernstein.It was originally written in 1964 for the Society'stelevision specials,which were broadcast onCBS,ABC,PBSandNBCfrom 1964 until the early 2000s.

Other National Geographic US channels[edit]

National Geographic HD[edit]

The United States720phigh definitionsimulcast of the National Geographic Channel launched in January 2006. It is available on all major cable and satellite providers.

Nat Geo Wild[edit]

Main article:Nat Geo Wild

Nat Geo Wild (stylized as Nat Geo WILD or abbreviated as NGW) is a cable/satellite TV channel focused on animal-related programs. It is a sister network to National Geographic Channel and it is the latest channel to be jointly launched by the National Geographic Society and Fox Cable Networks. It was launched in United States on March 29, 2010, focusing primarily on wildlife and natural history programming.

Nat Geo Mundo[edit]

Nat Geo Mundo
CountryUnited States
Broadcast areaNationwide
Programming
Language(s)Spanish
Picture format480i SDTV
Ownership
OwnerNational Geographic Society
History
Launched2011;13 years ago(2011)
Availability
Streaming media
Service(s)FuboTV,YouTube TV,Vidgo,Sling TV,DirecTV Stream

Nat Geo Mundo is broadcast in American Spanish, and was launched in 2011.[14]It shares programming with the Nat Geo Channel available in Hispanic American countries. The channel is fully-owned by the National Geographic Society with no involvement from Disney General Entertainment Content.

Nat Geo TV[edit]

Nat Geo TV is anapplicationforsmartphonesandtablet computers,along withWindows 10.It allows subscribers of participating pay television providers (such asTime Warner CableandComcast Xfinity) numerous viewing options:

  • individual episodes of National Geographic andNat Geo Wild's original series and documentaries (which are made available live)

Controversy and criticism[edit]

In 2013, the network began airing the reality showAre You Tougher Than a Boy Scout?.National Geographic Channel was criticized for their association with theBoy Scouts of America,an organization which, until a vote in May of that year that overturned its ban, hadforbidden openly gay members.[15]

Archaeologists have protested that National Geographic shows such asDiggersandNazi War Diggerspromote the looting and destruction of archaeological sites by promoting the work of metal detecting souvenir hunters and collectable dealers.[16]In 2013 the National Geographic Channel set off a firestorm of controversy with its reality showDiggers.Professional archaeologists from theSociety for Historical Archaeology,the largest scholarly group concerned with the archaeology of the modern world (A.D. 1400–present), roundly criticized the network for promoting the theft of cultural materials on public and private land.[17]

The showNazi War Diggerswas accused of showing unscientific and disrespectful handling of human remains. A promotional quote from a military relic dealer, "I feel that by selling things that are Nazi-related and for lots of money, I am preserving things that museums don't want to deal with," was removed from the channel's website in March 2014. National Geographic expressed regret for how the series was presented by its own website but maintained that many of the accusations against the series were based on misinformation.[18]The show was repackaged, amid controversy, asBattlefield Recoveryfor air during 2016 onChannel 5in the UK.[19]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^Parker, Laura (September 9, 2015)."National Geographic and 21st Century Fox Expand Media Partnership".Culture.RetrievedMarch 27,2024.
  2. ^abLittleton, Cynthia (March 19, 2019)."Disney Closes $71 Billion 21st Century Fox Deal".Variety.RetrievedApril 3,2019.
  3. ^Steinberg, Brian (August 29, 2019)."Disney Layoffs Affect National Geographic".Variety.RetrievedMarch 27,2024.
  4. ^"U.S. cable network households (universe), 1990 – 2023".wrestlenomics.May 14, 2024.RetrievedJuly 28,2019.
  5. ^Stilson, Janet (May 1, 2000)."Speeding Up the Growth Curve".Multichannel News International.Cahners. p. 18.
  6. ^"Doctoring the Health Channel"(PDF).Broadcasting & Cable.January 8, 2001. p. 12.RetrievedAugust 8,2021.
  7. ^Gabrielle Pantera."Nat Geo Channel The 2000s, Rob Lowe Narrates the Naughties".HollywoodDailyStar.RetrievedJuly 12,2015.
  8. ^"The Walt Disney Company To Acquire Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc., After Spinoff Of Certain Businesses, For $52.4 Billion In Stock"(Press release).The Walt Disney Company.December 14, 2017.Archivedfrom the original on December 14, 2017.RetrievedDecember 14,2017.
  9. ^Andreeva, Nellie (October 8, 2018)."Disney Unveils Top TV Executive Structure Post Fox Acquisition: Peter Rice, Dana Walden, John Landgraf, Gary Knell Joining".Deadline.RetrievedOctober 9,2018.
  10. ^Goldsmith, Dade Hayes, Jill; Hayes, Dade; Goldsmith, Jill (September 15, 2023)."Disney Fielding Interest In ABC And Other Linear TV Assets From Byron Allen And Nexstar; Media Giant Calls Reports Of Sale Talks" Unfounded, "But Will Consider" Strategic Options "– Update".Deadline.RetrievedDecember 6,2023.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. ^"Disney's Bob Iger does a 360 on possibly selling ABC and FX and now says he'll keep the TV stations".
  12. ^"Apocalypse 101"– via imdb.
  13. ^"Building Wild"– via imdb.
  14. ^"National Geographic Launches Nat Geo Mundo, New Network For Multi-Generational And Bicultural U.S. Latinos".April 4, 2011. Archived fromthe originalon July 1, 2011.RetrievedJuly 6,2011.
  15. ^Wong, Curtis (January 24, 2013)."Boy Scout Reality Series Deemed Anti-Gay 'Marketing Ploy' By LGBT Activists".Huffington Post.
  16. ^"Two Popular TV Shows Under Fire From Archaeologists".HuffPost.March 2, 2012.
  17. ^"National Geographic's Diggers: is it better?".Society for Historical Archaeology.February 2013.RetrievedJuly 13,2016.
  18. ^Mashberg, Tom (March 28, 2014)."TV Series Is Criticized in Handling of Deceased".The New York Times– via NYTimes.
  19. ^"Channel 5 accused of supporting 'grave-robbing' over TV show Battlefield Recovery".the Guardian.January 8, 2016.RetrievedJanuary 7,2021.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=National_Geographic_(American_TV_channel)&oldid=1233964337#National_Geographic_Channel_HD"