National Geographic (Asian TV channel)

Last updated
National Geographic
Natgeologo.svg
Broadcast areaSoutheast Asia
Hong Kong
Taiwan
Japan
South Korea
HeadquartersHong Kong
Programming
Language(s) English
Chinese (Mandarin/Cantonese; dubbing/subtitles)
Japanese (dubbing/subtitles)
Korean (dubbing/subtitles)
Indonesian (dubbing/subtitles)
Malay (dubbing/subtitles)
Filipino (dubbing/subtitles)
Thai (dubbing/subtitles)
Vietnamese (subtitles)
Picture format 1080i HDTV
Ownership
OwnerNGC Network Asia, LLC (The Walt Disney Company)
Sister channels Nat Geo Wild
History
LaunchedJanuary 1, 1994;30 years ago (January 1, 1994)
Closed
  • January 1, 2022;2 years ago (2022-01-01) (SD feed, Vietnam)
  • September 30, 2023;10 months ago (2023-09-30) (Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, South Korea and CHT MOD in Taiwan feed)
  • December 31, 2023;7 months ago (2023-12-31) (Cable feed, Taiwan)
Replaced by Techstorm (Unifi TV)
Global Trekker (Astro)
BBC Lifestyle (Cignal)
BBC Earth (Taiwan)
Former names
  • NBC Asia (1994–1998)
  • National Geographic Channel (1998–2016)
Links
Website natgeotv.com/asia

National Geographic (Nat Geo Asia, formerly NBC Asia and National Geographic Channel and also commercially abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo or Nat Geo TV) is a pan-Asian subscription television channel owned by Disney Networks Group Asia Pacific (through NGC Network Asia, LLC). The channel featured non-fiction, factual programming involving nature, science, culture and history, produced by the National Geographic Society, just like History and Discovery Channel.

Contents

It was launched on January 1, 1994, as NBC Asia. As of 2008, the Asian version of the original US version was available in over 56 million homes. NGC Asia has had six different channels of feeds. The channel closed in 2023–2024 as National Geographic libraries moved to the streaming platform Disney+.

History

NBC Asia (1994–1998)

On January 1, 1994, the channel was officially launched as NBC Asia. It featured mostly NBC programs as well as the NBC Nightly News , The Tonight Show , Saturday Night Live and Late Night . Like its European counterpart, it could not broadcast United States-produced primetime shows due to rights restrictions. It did, however, also air some NBC Sports output. During weekday evenings, NBC Asia had a regional evening news program. It occasionally simulcast some programs from CNBC Asia and MSNBC.[ citation needed ]

National Geographic Asia (1998–2023)

On July 1, 1998, NBC Asia was rebranded as the National Geographic Channel. The NBC programming moved to CNBC Asia.

On February 4, 2008, the Nat Geo Junior programming block of two non-contingent hours, late morning and late afternoon, was launched on the channel. I Didn't Know That, Mad Labs and Wild Detectives were the initial shows on the block. [1]

Closure

National Geographic and its sister channel Nat Geo Wild has remained on-air until the announcement of the channel closure on October 1, 2023. [2] This announcement lead many of the pay TV providers to lose all of the Disney/Fox linear channels, including National Geographic itself. [3] [4] However, the majority of National Geographic's libraries, including their documentary films, have been included on Disney+ (or Disney+ Hotstar in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand) content hub as Disney currently owns the partial ownership on National Geographic Global Networks.

Later on, the Taiwan feed closed down on January 1, 2024; [2] [5] with BBC Earth serving as its replacement. [6]

The only Asian country that still have not ceased in operation is Japan, as the Japanese feed is currently operated by The Walt Disney Company (Japan) Ltd; both the Middle Eastern and Indian sub-continent feed is yet to be determined, while the earlier territories currently share the feed with the European/African feeds from The Walt Disney Company EMEA.

Feeds

Original National Geographic Channel logo (2005-2016) National Geographic Channel.svg
Original National Geographic Channel logo (2005–2016)

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Star World</span> English-language television channel in Asia

Star World is an English language entertainment television channel originally launched on 15 December 1991 by Star TV in Hong Kong as the old iteration of Star Plus. Originally available in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong, as well as India and South Asia, since 2024 it is only available in the Middle East and North Africa after the closure of the Indian and Taiwanese feeds.

National Geographic 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%), with the operational management handled by Disney Entertainment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Channel V</span> Defunct Asian music television channel

Channel [V] is a Chinese and former Asian pay television musical network originally launched by Star TV Hong Kong. It was part of the unit of Disney International Operations, and was launched in September 1991 to replace the first incarnation of MTV's Asian operation before it was shut down on October 1, 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Star Movies</span> Television channel

Star Movies is an Asian-based pay television channel owned by Disney Entertainment. Star Movies was originally launched in 1994 as a single channel broadcast across Asia, but it was regionalized into different localized channels since then. Fox Networks Group Asia Pacific have since rebranded some of the network's international feeds in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Southeast Asia as Fox Movies, but retains the Star Movies brand in Middle East & South Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Star Chinese Channel</span> Taiwanese Mandarin general entertainment television channel

Star Chinese Channel was a Taiwanese general entertainment television channel operated by The Walt Disney Company (Taiwan) Ltd. Its programming features drama, variety, lifestyle, and talk shows in Mandarin. Launched on 21 October 1991 at 16:30 Hong Kong Time by its predecessor Star TV, the channel originally targeted audiences in Greater China broadcasting in both Mandarin and Cantonese, before it reduced broadcasting area to just Taiwan and began broadcasting only in Mandarin on 30 March 1996. Both Star Chinese Channel, along with its sister channel Star Entertainment Channel, closing down on January 1, 2024, as Disney further enrolled Disney+ streaming platform.

Star Chinese Movies was a Chinese language pay television channel owned by Disney Networks Group Pacific Ltd. It featured Chinese films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nat Geo People</span> Global pay television channel

Nat Geo People is an international pay television channel owned by National Geographic Partners, a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company (73%) and the National Geographic Society (27%). Targeted at female audiences, with programming focusing on people and cultures, the channel is available in 50 countries in both linear and non-linear formats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disney Channel (Southeast Asian TV channel)</span> Defunct kids television channel

Disney Channel is a former pan-Asian pay television kids channel owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company Southeast Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nat Geo Wild</span> Global television channel

National Geographic Wild is a global pay television network owned by National Geographic Partners, a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company (73%) and the National Geographic Society (27%). The channel primarily focuses on wildlife and natural history non-fiction programming. It is a sister network to National Geographic TV.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BBC Lifestyle</span> International television channel

BBC Lifestyle is an international television channel wholly owned by BBC Studios. The channel provides six programming strands: Food, Home & Design, Fashion & Style, Health, Parenting, and Personal Development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fox Networks Group</span> Television networks division of 21st Century Fox (1993–2024)

Fox Networks Group (FNG), formerly known as Fox International Channels (FIC) in the United States, was the television networks division of News Corporation and later 21st Century Fox that operated from 1993 to 2024. It oversaw the production, broadcasting and distribution of the Fox, Fox Sports, National Geographic and BabyTV brands in the United States and over 1.725 billion households globally. The division also operated video on demand services Fox Play and Fox Plus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disney Channel (European, Middle Eastern and African TV channel)</span> Childrens pay television channel

Disney Channel is a children's pay television channel owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company Limited, the international business division of the Walt Disney Company serving television markets across the Middle East, North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, Greece, Cyprus, the Baltics, and most of the Balkans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BabyTV</span> Television channel

BabyTV is a multilingual, international television channel for babies, toddlers and preschoolers aged 3 or lower. The channel is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company Limited, the international division of The Walt Disney Company and is headquartered in London with television distribution handled by Disney subsidiaries across the world. The channel first launched in 2003 in Israel and in 2005 in the United Kingdom. BabyTV is distributed in over 100 countries, broadcasting in 18 languages. The channel broadcasts shows without television commercial interruptions. In the United States, the channel is distributed by Disney General Entertainment Content.

Nat Geo Music was a television music channel operated as a part of National Geographic Global Networks, which is a business unit of National Geographic Partners. The channel works in conjunction with the Society's music division National Geographic Music and Radio (NGMR).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fox (Asian TV channel)</span> Defunct Asian TV channel

Fox was a pan-Asian pay television channel, owned and operated by Fox Networks Group Asia Pacific, a subsidiary of Disney International Operations.

National Geographic was a South Korean documentary television channel operated by the Asian operations of National Geographic Global Networks. The channel broadcast non-fiction television programmes, with most of shows coming from the National Geographic Society.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nickelodeon (Asian TV channel)</span> Southeast Asian feed of Nickelodeon

Nickelodeon is a pan-Asian pay television channel operated by Paramount Networks EMEAA and owned by Paramount International Networks, based in Singapore and broadcast to audiences in Southeast Asia and certain regions in Oceania like Polynesia and Papua New Guinea. The channel was launched on 1998 and mainly broadcasts original series from Nickelodeon's namesake television channel in the United States.

National Geographic Global Networks is a business unit within National Geographic Partners and Disney Entertainment that oversees the National Geographic-branded television channels and National Geographic Studios.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FX (international)</span> Brand name of television channels owned by FX Networks

FX is an international television channel brand stemming from the eponymous American standard or premium cable television channel and is owned by FX Networks, a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Company.

Fox Life, now rebranded as Star Life and FX Life, was an international pay television network, launched by the Fox Networks Group in 2004. The network has been discontinued in several markets over time, and is currently active in the Middle East, Portugal, the Baltic states, the CIS, Malta, and India.

References

  1. ↑ "Nat Geo blocks target Asian kids". C21media. 4 February 2008. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  2. 1 2 Frater, Patrick (June 14, 2023). "Disney to Close Remaining Linear TV Channels in Southeast Asia and Korea". Variety . Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  3. ↑ Chief Chapree (January 26, 2023). "Astro Dedicated Esports Channel Is No More: eGG Network Are Now Under Arena". Lowyat.net. Retrieved June 15, 2023. On a related note, eGG Network is not the only channel on Astro that will be taken off the air soon though. There are other channels too including National Geographic, Nat Geo Wild, Ta-Daa and Boomerang that will be discontinued on 1 February although the pay-TV operator has already added new channels such as Global Trekker, Love Nature/Love Nature 4K, DreamWorks, and BBC's Cbeebies to become their replacements.
  4. ↑ Magsambol, Bonz (October 1, 2023). "Disney ends broadcasting TV channels, including National Geographic, in Southeast Asia". Rappler . Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  5. ↑ "迪士尼集團11頻道退出台灣，國家地理頻道、衛視中文台等最晚年底將下架". The News Lens (in Chinese (Taiwan)). June 14, 2023. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  6. ↑ "迪士尼退出後「BBC Studios來了」 2024年登有線電視基本頻道". UDN News (in Chinese (Taiwan)). December 28, 2023. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.