National Geographic (American TV channel)

"National Geographic Channel" redirects here. For other uses, see National Geographic Channel (disambiguation).
National Geographic
CountryUnited States
Broadcast areaWorldwide
Nationwide
HeadquartersWashington, DC, U.S.[1]
Programming
Picture format720p HDTV
(downscaled to 480i for the SDTV feed)
Ownership
OwnerThe Walt Disney Company (73%) and National Geographic Society (27%)
ParentNational Geographic Global Networks (Disney Entertainment and National Geographic Partners)
Sister channels
History
LaunchedJanuary 7, 2001; 23 years ago (2001-01-07)
Former namesNational Geographic Channel (2001–2016)
Links
Websitenatgeotv.com
Availability
Streaming media
Affiliated Streaming ServiceDisney+
Service(s)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%),[2][3] with the operational management handled by Disney Entertainment.[4]

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.[citation needed] 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.

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.[5]

  1. ^ "Disney Entertainment Television Lays off 140; National Geographic Heavily Impacted". July 31, 2024.
  2. ^ Parker, Laura (September 9, 2015). "National Geographic and 21st Century Fox Expand Media Partnership". Culture. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  3. ^ Littleton, Cynthia (March 19, 2019). "Disney Closes $71 Billion 21st Century Fox Deal". Variety. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
  4. ^ Steinberg, Brian (August 29, 2019). "Disney Layoffs Affect National Geographic". Variety. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  5. ^ "U.S. cable network households (universe), 1990 – 2023". wrestlenomics.com. May 14, 2024. Retrieved July 28, 2019.