National Geographic (American TV channel) explained

National Geographic
Logo Alt:National Geographic Channel logo
Picture Format:720p HDTV
(downscaled to 480i for the SDTV feed)
Country:United States
Area:Worldwide
Nationwide
Headquarters:Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
Former Names:National Geographic Channel (2001–2016)
Online Serv 1:Affiliated Streaming Service
Online Chan 1:Disney+
Online Serv 2:Service(s)
Online Chan 2:YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, FuboTV, Vidgo, DirecTV Stream

National Geographic (formerly National Geographic Channel; abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo or Nat Geo TV) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by the National Geographic Global Networks unit of Disney Entertainment and National Geographic Partners, a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company (73%) and the National Geographic Society (27%),[1] [2] with the operational management handled by Disney Entertainment.[3]

The flagship channel airs non-fiction television programs produced by National Geographic and other production companies. Like History (which is 50% owned by Disney through A&E Networks) and Discovery Channel, the channel features documentaries with factual content involving nature, science, culture, and history, plus some reality and pseudo-scientific entertainment programming. Its primary sister network worldwide, including the United States, is Nat Geo Wild, which focuses on animal-related programming, including the popular Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan.

, 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

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

, a documentary series narrated by Rob 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 a deal, The Walt Disney Company announced it would buy the majority of 21st 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 into Walt 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 Allen made a $10B bid to buy ABC, FX & National Geographic as Bob Iger claimed 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

See main article: List of National Geographic original programming. National Geographic Channel's TV series, in alphabetical order:

Theme fanfare music

The National Geographic Channel's signature theme fanfare music, which is played at the beginning of many of the channel's television programs, was composed by Elmer Bernstein. It was originally written in 1964 for the Society's television specials, which were broadcast on CBS, ABC, PBS and NBC from 1964 until the early 2000s.

Other National Geographic US channels

National Geographic HD

The United States 720p high definition simulcast of the National Geographic Channel launched in January 2006. It is available on all major cable and satellite providers.

Nat Geo Wild

See 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

Nat Geo Mundo
Picture Format:480i SDTV
Owner:National Geographic Society
Country:United States
Language:Spanish
Area:Nationwide
Online Serv 1:Service(s)
Online Chan 1: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

Nat Geo TV is an application for smartphones and tablet computers, along with Windows 10. It allows subscribers of participating pay television providers (such as Time Warner Cable and Comcast Xfinity) numerous viewing options:

Controversy and criticism

Archaeologists have protested that National Geographic shows such as Diggers and Nazi War Diggers promote the looting and destruction of archaeological sites by promoting the work of metal detecting souvenir hunters and collectable dealers.[15] In 2013 the National Geographic Channel set off a firestorm of controversy with its reality show Diggers. Professional archaeologists from the Society 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.[16]

The show Nazi War Diggers was 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.[17] The show was repackaged, amid controversy, as Battlefield Recovery for air during 2016 on Channel 5 in the UK.[18]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Parker . Laura . National Geographic and 21st Century Fox Expand Media Partnership . Culture . 2015-09-09 . 2024-03-27.
  2. Web site: Disney Closes $71 Billion 21st Century Fox Deal . Variety . Cynthia . Littleton . March 19, 2019 . April 3, 2019.
  3. Web site: Steinberg . Brian . Disney Layoffs Affect National Geographic . Variety . 2019-08-29 . 2024-03-27.
  4. Web site: U.S. cable network households (universe), 1990 – 2023. wrestlenomics.com. May 14, 2024. July 28, 2019.
  5. News: Stilson . Janet . Speeding Up the Growth Curve . Multichannel News International . Cahners . 1 May 2000 . 18.
  6. News: Doctoring the Health Channel . 8 August 2021 . Broadcasting & Cable . January 8, 2001 . 12.
  7. Web site: Nat Geo Channel The 2000s, Rob Lowe Narrates the Naughties. HollywoodDailyStar.com. Gabrielle Pantera . July 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 . . December 14, 2017 . December 14, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171214141817/https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/walt-disney-company-acquire-twenty-first-century-fox-inc-spinoff-certain-businesses-52-4-billion-stock-2/ . December 14, 2017 . live . mdy-all .
  9. News: Andreeva . Nellie . Disney Unveils Top TV Executive Structure Post Fox Acquisition: Peter Rice, Dana Walden, John Landgraf, Gary Knell Joining . October 9, 2018 . Deadline . October 8, 2018.
  10. Web site: Goldsmith . Dade Hayes, Jill . Hayes . Dade . Goldsmith . Jill . 2023-09-15 . 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 . 2023-12-06 . Deadline . en-US.
  11. Web site: Disney's Bob Iger does a 360 on possibly selling ABC and FX and now says he'll keep the TV stations .
  12. Web site: Apocalypse 101. www.imdb.com.
  13. Web site: Building Wild. www.imdb.com.
  14. News: National Geographic Launches Nat Geo Mundo, New Network For Multi-Generational And Bicultural U.S. Latinos. July 6, 2011. April 4, 2011. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110701201441/http://www.cesarsway.com/news/appearances/National-Geographic-Launches-Nat-Geo-Mundo. July 1, 2011. mdy-all.
  15. Web site: Two Popular TV Shows Under Fire From Archaeologists. March 2, 2012. HuffPost.
  16. Web site: National Geographic's Diggers: is it better?. Society for Historical Archaeology. February 2013 . 13 July 2016.
  17. News: TV Series Is Criticized in Handling of Deceased. Tom. Mashberg. The New York Times . March 28, 2014. NYTimes.com.
  18. Web site: 2016-01-08. Channel 5 accused of supporting 'grave-robbing' over TV show Battlefield Recovery. 2021-01-07. the Guardian. en.