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National Geographic Channel



 
 
National Geographic Channel, also commercially abbreviated as Nat Geo, is a subscription television channel
Television channel

A television channel is a physical or virtual channel over which a television station or television network is distributed. For example, in North America, "channel 2" refers to the broadcast or cable band of 54 to 60 MHz, with carrier wave frequencies of 55.25 MHz for NTSC analog video and 59.75 MHz for analog audio , or 55.31 MHz for digi...
 that airs non-fiction
Non-fiction

Non-fiction is an document or representation of a subject which is presented as fact. This presentation may be accurate or not; that is, it can give either a true or a false account of the subject in question....
 television programs produced by the National Geographic Society
National Geographic Society

The National Geographic Society , headquartered in Washington, D.C. in the United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational institutions in the world....
. Like History and the Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel

The Discovery Channel is an United States satellite and cable TV channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications....
, the channel features documentaries involving nature
Nature

File:Jungle in Punjab.JPGNature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical universe, material world or material universe....
, science
Science

In its broadest sense, science refers to any systematic knowledge or practice. In its more usual restricted sense, science refers to a system of acquiring knowledge based on scientific method, as well as to the organized body of knowledge gained through such research....
, culture
Culture

Culture is difficult to define. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions....
, and history
HIStory

HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I is a double album by Michael Jackson, released on June 20, 1995, and is Jackson's ninth. The first disc, named "HIStory Begins" consists of a selection of Jackson's greatest hits from the singer's past fifteen years, while the second, named "HIStory Continues" features new songs, with the...
.

eptember 1997, the world's first National Geographic Channel launched in Europe and Australia. In July 1998, National Geographic Channel Asia was launched in partnership and distribution with STAR TV
STAR TV

Satellite Television for the Asian Region is an Asian TV service owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. It is based in Hong Kong, with programming offices in India and Australia, as well as in other south Asian countries....
 (Before replacing NBC Asia Channel.






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Encyclopedia


National Geographic Channel, also commercially abbreviated as Nat Geo, is a subscription television channel
Television channel

A television channel is a physical or virtual channel over which a television station or television network is distributed. For example, in North America, "channel 2" refers to the broadcast or cable band of 54 to 60 MHz, with carrier wave frequencies of 55.25 MHz for NTSC analog video and 59.75 MHz for analog audio , or 55.31 MHz for digi...
 that airs non-fiction
Non-fiction

Non-fiction is an document or representation of a subject which is presented as fact. This presentation may be accurate or not; that is, it can give either a true or a false account of the subject in question....
 television programs produced by the National Geographic Society
National Geographic Society

The National Geographic Society , headquartered in Washington, D.C. in the United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational institutions in the world....
. Like History and the Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel

The Discovery Channel is an United States satellite and cable TV channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications....
, the channel features documentaries involving nature
Nature

File:Jungle in Punjab.JPGNature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical universe, material world or material universe....
, science
Science

In its broadest sense, science refers to any systematic knowledge or practice. In its more usual restricted sense, science refers to a system of acquiring knowledge based on scientific method, as well as to the organized body of knowledge gained through such research....
, culture
Culture

Culture is difficult to define. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions....
, and history
HIStory

HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I is a double album by Michael Jackson, released on June 20, 1995, and is Jackson's ninth. The first disc, named "HIStory Begins" consists of a selection of Jackson's greatest hits from the singer's past fifteen years, while the second, named "HIStory Continues" features new songs, with the...
.

Overview

In September 1997, the world's first National Geographic Channel launched in Europe and Australia. In July 1998, National Geographic Channel Asia was launched in partnership and distribution with STAR TV
STAR TV

Satellite Television for the Asian Region is an Asian TV service owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. It is based in Hong Kong, with programming offices in India and Australia, as well as in other south Asian countries....
 (Before replacing NBC Asia Channel. The same happened in NBC Europe
NBC Europe

NBC Europe was a satellite television Television channel based in the United Kingdom that broadcast across Europe. It was picked up by various European cable television networks....
's demise in 1998). Today, the channel is available in over 143 countries, are seen in more than 160 million homes and in 25 languages.

In the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
, National Geographic Channel, launched in January 2001, is a joint venture of National Geographic Television & Film
National Geographic Society

The National Geographic Society , headquartered in Washington, D.C. in the United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational institutions in the world....
 and Fox Cable Networks
Fox Entertainment Group

Fox Entertainment Group is an United States entertainment industry company that owns film studios and terrestrial television, cable television, and direct broadcast satellite television properties....
. National Geographic provides programming expertise and the Fox Networks Group provides its expertise on distribution
Distribution (business)

Distribution is one of the four elements of marketing mix. An organization or set of organizations involved in the process of making a product or service available for use or consumption by a consumer or business user....
, marketing
Marketing

Marketing is defined by the American Marketing Association as the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large....
, and ad sales.

In Canada, the channel is owned by Alliance Atlantis
Alliance Atlantis

Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc. is a Toronto-based media company that operated primarily as a specialty service operator in Canada. Alliance Atlantis also had offices in Halifax Urban Area, Los Angeles, London, Dublin, Madrid, Barcelona, Shannon Town and Sydney....
 and National Geographic Channel USA, while the European versions are operated in partnership with Fox's sister company, British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB). This includes an English language version for the UK
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
, Iceland
Iceland

Iceland, officially the Republic of Iceland , is an island country located in the North Atlantic Ocean between mainland Europe and Greenland....
 and Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland

Ireland is an Island country in north-western Europe. The modern Sovereignty state occupies about five-sixths of the island of Ireland, which was partitioned by the British on 3 May 1921....
, which is carried on BSkyB's own Sky Digital
Sky Digital (UK & Ireland)

Sky Digital is the brand name for British Sky Broadcasting's digital satellite television and satellite radio service, transmitted from SES Astra satellites located at Astra 28.2?E and Eutelsat's Eurobird 1 satellite at 28.5?E....
 pay TV service and also on Tiscali TV
Tiscali TV

Tiscali TV is a United Kingdom-based consumer Television in the United Kingdom and video on demand service, operated by the European telephony company, Tiscali....
 in the UK, Sky Digital
Sky Digital (UK & Ireland)

Sky Digital is the brand name for British Sky Broadcasting's digital satellite television and satellite radio service, transmitted from SES Astra satellites located at Astra 28.2?E and Eutelsat's Eurobird 1 satellite at 28.5?E....
, UPC
UPC Ireland

UPC Communications Ireland Limited, which trades primarily under the brand name Chorus NTL, is Liberty Global Europe's operation in Ireland....
, Magnet Networks, SCTV in the Republic of Ireland and Skjarin in Iceland.

In Asia-Pacific
Asia-Pacific

Asia-Pacific or APAC is the area generally regarded as encompassing littoral East Asia, Southeast Asia and Australasia near the Pacific Ocean, plus the states in the ocean itself ....
 area National Geographic Channel is available in over 56 million homes (2008).

In Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
, National Geographic Channel is carried by Foxtel
Foxtel

Foxtel is an Australian pay television company, formed through a joint venture between Telstra, News Corporation and Consolidated Media Holdings....
, Optus
Optus

SingTel Optus Pty Limited is the second largest telecommunications company in Australia, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore Telecommunications ....
, Austar
Austar

About Austar Austar is an Australian telecommunications company. Its main business activity is Subscription Television but it is also involved with internet access and mobile phones....
, Neighbourhood Cable
Neighbourhood Cable

Neighbourhood Cable is a telecommunications provider based in regional Victoria , Australia . Neighbourhood Cable owns and operates Hybrid Fibre Coaxial cable networks in three Victorian regional cities:...
, TransTV, and SelecTV
SelecTV

SelecTV is an Australian satellite based subscription television broadcasting service headed by CEO Jim Blomfield . In April 2006 the company said it had 2000 customers....
. The Australian version includes Australian guest presenters of promotional material and to introduce certain programs, series and specials.

In New Zealand
New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
, National Geographic Channel is broadcast on SKY Network Television
SKY Network Television

SKY Network Television Limited , often trading as SKY, is a New Zealand pay television service. On 31 December, 2007, SKY had 720,919 subscribers, which comprises:...
 and TelstraClear InHomeTV.

In South Africa
South Africa

The Republic of South Africa, also known by Official names of South Africa, is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa....
, the channel is carried by Digital Satellite Television (also known as DStv
DStv

Digital Satellite Television is MultiChoice's multi-channel digital satellite TV service in Africa, launched in 1995. In South Africa and neighbouring countries, it broadcasts on ku-Band, which only requires a small satellite dish, while several other countries in the rest of Africa receive broadcasts via both ku-Band and C-Band which requir...
) is MultiChoice's multi-channel digital satellite TV service in Africa
Africa

Africa is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km? including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area....
.

Theme fanfare music

The 's signature theme fanfare
Fanfare

A fanfare is a short piece of music played by trumpets and other brass instruments, frequently accompanied by percussion instruments, usually for ceremony purposes....
 music is composed by Elmer Bernstein
Elmer Bernstein

'Elmer Bernstein' was an Academy Award and two-time Golden Globe award winning American film score composer. He was famous for composing music for The Ten Commandments , The Man with the Golden Arm, The Great Escape , The Magnificent Seven, and To Kill a Mockingbird ....
, which has also played in usually the beginning of many of the channel's television programs.

Other National Geographic Channels


Nat Geo Music

Designed to offer an alternative music video channel for both international and smaller independent local labels with a focus on cultural lyrics and rhythms. Nat Geo Music became available in Italy
Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia....
 on October 15, 2007, and will later be broadcast around the world.

Nat Geo Junior

Nat Geo Junior is broadcast in Netherlands, Belgium, India and created specifically for children. Also a block programmed in Asia.

National Geographic Channel HD

National Geographic Channel HD in the USA is a 1080i
1080i

1080i is the shorthand name of a format of high-definition video modes. 1080 denotes the number of horizontal scan lines - also known as vertical resolution - and the letter i stands for interlaced....
 high definition
High-definition television

High-definition television is a digital television broadcasting system with higher than traditional television systems . HDTV is digitally broadcast; the earliest implementations used analog broadcasting, but today digital television signals are used, requiring less Bandwidth due to digital video compression....
 simulcast of the National Geographic Channel
National Geographic Channel

National Geographic Channel, also commercially abbreviated as Nat Geo, is a subscription television channel that airs non-fiction television programs produced by the National Geographic Society....
. It launched in January 2006. It is available nationwide on satellite providers DirecTV
DirecTV

DirecTV is a direct broadcast satellite service based in El Segundo, California, California, which transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, the Caribbean, and parts of Latin America....
 and Dish Network
Dish Network

Dish Network Corporation is a direct broadcast satellite service provider that offers satellite television, audio programming, and interactive television services to households and businesses in the United States....
 and on several cable providers.

In Canada, the Canadian edition of National Geographic Channel HD launched on December 19, 2006. It is available nationally via the countries two satellite services Star Choice
Star Choice

Star Choice is a direct broadcast satellite television distributor in Canada which is majority-owned by cable TV operator Shaw Communications Inc....
, on channel 276 and Bell TV on channel 828.

In the UK, it is available on Sky Digital and launched in February 2006. The UK version is not a simulcast and has a separate schedule to the Standard Definition version of the National Geographic Channel. It is broadcast on EPG channel 543. In the UK , some of the content is shown from Rush HD
Rush HD

Rush HD is an adventure sport-oriented television channel that broadcasts exclusively in high definition television. Programming features coverage of Extreme Action Sports such as B.A.S.E jumping, snowboarding, windsurfing, bungee jumping, and cliff diving....


In Australia Nat Geo HD is available on the Foxtel HD+ Service sice July 1, 2008

In Asia Pacific, National Geographic Channel HD was the first channel to support 1080i HD and 5.1-channel surround sound. The channel was commercially available on StarHub Digital Cable Channel 301 on January 18, 2007, followed by Vietnam via Vietbao CATV on October 29, 2007. It was also available exclusively on now TV
Now TV

now TV is a 24-hour pay-TV service provider in Hong Kong.It is transmitted through the company's Netvigator broadband network via an IPTV service....
 Channel 218 on December 19, 2007 in Hong Kong.

In Poland
Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian Enclave and exclave, to the north....
, this channel is available as of mid-2007 on Cyfra Plus platform; however, only with the Polish soundtrack.

In Slovakia
Slovakia

Slovakia . It was amended in September 1998 to allow direct election of the president and again in February 2001 due to EU admission requirements....
, NGC HD is available since 2008 in digital TV product UPC Digital.

In Czech Republic
Czech Republic

The Czech Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country borders Poland to the northeast, Germany to the west, Austria to the south and Slovakia to the east....
, NGC HD is available since spring 2008 on digital cable from UPC Digital, channel 54. Both, Czech and Slovak feeds of NGC HD are transmitted directly from the UK (Sky+ HD) and come with english audio track only (DD/AC3)

National Geographic Adventure


National Geographic Wild


Competitors

  • Discovery Communications
    Discovery Communications

    Discovery Communications, Inc. is an United States global media and entertainment company that was launched in 1985 and began as a single channel, Discovery Channel....
  • PBS
    Public Broadcasting Service

    The Public Broadcasting Service is an United States non-profit public broadcasting television service with 354 member TV stations in the United States....
  • History Channel


See also

  • National Geographic Channel Australia
  • Nat Geo Adventure Channel Australia
  • National Geographic Channel (Canada)
  • National Geographic Channel (UK)
    National Geographic Channel (UK)

    The National Geographic Channel is a television channel that features documentaries produced by the National Geographic Society. It features some programming similar to that on the Discovery Channel such as nature and science documentaries....
  • National Geographic Channel HD
  • List of National Geographic Channel programs
    List of programs broadcast by National Geographic Channel

    The following is a list of television programs formerly or currently broadcast by National Geographic Channel.* A Closer Shave* Aftermath: Population Zero...
  • List of DirecTV channels
    List of DirecTV channels

    Below is a numerical representation of the DirecTV channel lineup. Some channels have both east Coast of the United States and west Coast of the United States feeds, airing the same programming with a three-hour delay on the latter feed, creating a backup for those who missed their shows....
  • List of Dish Network channels
    List of Dish Network channels

    Channel Types...
  • List of documentary channels


External links