National Geographic Channel Scandinavia
Encyclopedia
National Geographic Channel Scandinavia is a television channel
broadcasting documentaries and related programmes to the Nordic countries
. It is owned by the NGC-UK Partnership, which was in the first ten years of its existence, owned by the National Geographic Society
and British Sky Broadcasting
. In December 2006, Sky's parent company News Corporation
, acquired 25 percent of the company. This meant that BSkyB owned half company, while National Geographic Television and News Corp held 25 percent share each. In December 2007, BSkyB sold its stake in the partnership to the Fox Entertainment Group
.
The National Geographic Channel was launched in Scandinavia in September 1997 when BSkyB launched the Sky News & Documentaries channel, carrying National Geographic between 8 p.m. and 2 p.m. (CET) with The Computer Channel between 6 and 8 p.m. and Sky News
the remaining time. The broadcasting hours has since then been extended and as of 2006 the channel is broadcasting from noon to 6 a.m., showing CNBC Nordic
in the morning.
Programmes and continuity has English audio, with subtitles in Swedish
, Finnish
, Danish
and Norwegian
. Advertising has sound in different languages.
The channel is carried on most digital cable networks in the region, including TDC Kabel TV
and Com Hem
. Initially it was only available on satellite from Canal Digital
, but it launched on the Viasat
satellite platform on August 15, 2006.
In the digital terrestrial networks the channel has been available from the launch of the RiksTV
platform in September 2007. In March 2008, the channel received a license to broadcast terrestrially in Sweden, but its launch has been postponed. It is also available terrestrially on the Faroe Islands
. The channel is not available in the Finnish terrestrial network.
The sister channel Adventure One had moderate carriage for some time in Scandinavia. Adventure One was replaced by Nat Geo Wild in some cable networks in 2007. On February 24, 2009, Nat Geo Wild was launched on the Viasat
satellite platform. It had then already launched on the Swedish Com Hem
network on January 8, 2009.
The National Geographic Channel HD was launched into the Nordic region on the Canal Digital
platform on April 1, 2007. In January 2008, the HD channel was launched on the Viasat platform. It came to Com Hem in Sweden on May 23, 2008.
On May 13, 2009 special feeds of the channel for the Danish and Norwegian markets were launched.
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 frequencies of 55.25 MHz for NTSC analog video and...
broadcasting documentaries and related programmes to the Nordic countries
Nordic countries
The Nordic countries make up a region in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic which consists of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and their associated territories, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland...
. It is owned by the NGC-UK Partnership, which was in the first ten years of its existence, owned 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. Its interests include geography, archaeology and natural science, the promotion of environmental and historical...
and British Sky Broadcasting
British Sky Broadcasting
British Sky Broadcasting Group plc is a satellite broadcasting, broadband and telephony services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, with operations in the United Kingdom and the Ireland....
. In December 2006, Sky's parent company News Corporation
News Corporation
News Corporation or News Corp. is an American multinational media conglomerate. It is the world's second-largest media conglomerate as of 2011 in terms of revenue, and the world's third largest in entertainment as of 2009, although the BBC remains the world's largest broadcaster...
, acquired 25 percent of the company. This meant that BSkyB owned half company, while National Geographic Television and News Corp held 25 percent share each. In December 2007, BSkyB sold its stake in the partnership to the Fox Entertainment Group
Fox Entertainment Group
The Fox Entertainment Group is an American entertainment industry company that owns film studios and terrestrial, cable, and direct broadcast satellite television properties...
.
The National Geographic Channel was launched in Scandinavia in September 1997 when BSkyB launched the Sky News & Documentaries channel, carrying National Geographic between 8 p.m. and 2 p.m. (CET) with The Computer Channel between 6 and 8 p.m. and Sky News
Sky News
Sky News is a 24-hour British and international satellite television news broadcaster with an emphasis on UK and international news stories.The service places emphasis on rolling news, including the latest breaking news. Sky News also hosts localised versions of the channel in Australia and in New...
the remaining time. The broadcasting hours has since then been extended and as of 2006 the channel is broadcasting from noon to 6 a.m., showing CNBC Nordic
CNBC Europe
CNBC Europe is a business and financial news television channel, the pan-European sister station of CNBC. The network is owned and operated by NBC Universal and headquartered in London, where it shares the Adrian Smith-designed 10 Fleet Place building with Dow Jones...
in the morning.
Programmes and continuity has English audio, with subtitles in Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
, Finnish
Finnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
, Danish
Danish language
Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
and Norwegian
Norwegian language
Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...
. Advertising has sound in different languages.
The channel is carried on most digital cable networks in the region, including TDC Kabel TV
TDC Kabel TV
Yousee is a Danish distributor of cable television and broadband. It is the dominating distributor of cable television and claims that almost than 45 percent of the Danish population receive their television from TDC. It is a subsidiary of TDC A/S.As of 2007, TDC broadcast both analogue and...
and Com Hem
Com Hem
Com Hem AB of Sweden, supplies triple play services that include cable tv, digital television, broadband, telephony and HDTV.Founded in 1983 as Televerket Kabel-TV as part of the former state-owned Televerket, the company has been successively named Svenska Kabel-TV AB and Telia InfoMedia...
. Initially it was only available on satellite from Canal Digital
Canal Digital
Canal Digital is a Scandinavian television distributor and internet service provider that was founded in March 1997 as a joint venture between the French pay-TV company Canal+ and the Norwegian telecommunications operator Telenor...
, but it launched on the Viasat
Viasat
Viasat is a DBS distributor and TV broadcaster, owned by the Swedish media conglomerate Modern Times Group. Broadcasting from London, the target markets are in the Nordic and the Baltic Countries...
satellite platform on August 15, 2006.
In the digital terrestrial networks the channel has been available from the launch of the RiksTV
RiksTV
RiksTV is the distributor of pay television in the Norwegian digital terrestrial television network. It is owned by Norges televisjon as, a consortium owned by Norsk rikskringkasting, the TV 2 Group and Telenor....
platform in September 2007. In March 2008, the channel received a license to broadcast terrestrially in Sweden, but its launch has been postponed. It is also available terrestrially on the Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands are an island group situated between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Scotland and Iceland. The Faroe Islands are a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, along with Denmark proper and Greenland...
. The channel is not available in the Finnish terrestrial network.
The sister channel Adventure One had moderate carriage for some time in Scandinavia. Adventure One was replaced by Nat Geo Wild in some cable networks in 2007. On February 24, 2009, Nat Geo Wild was launched on the Viasat
Viasat
Viasat is a DBS distributor and TV broadcaster, owned by the Swedish media conglomerate Modern Times Group. Broadcasting from London, the target markets are in the Nordic and the Baltic Countries...
satellite platform. It had then already launched on the Swedish Com Hem
Com Hem
Com Hem AB of Sweden, supplies triple play services that include cable tv, digital television, broadband, telephony and HDTV.Founded in 1983 as Televerket Kabel-TV as part of the former state-owned Televerket, the company has been successively named Svenska Kabel-TV AB and Telia InfoMedia...
network on January 8, 2009.
The National Geographic Channel HD was launched into the Nordic region on the Canal Digital
Canal Digital
Canal Digital is a Scandinavian television distributor and internet service provider that was founded in March 1997 as a joint venture between the French pay-TV company Canal+ and the Norwegian telecommunications operator Telenor...
platform on April 1, 2007. In January 2008, the HD channel was launched on the Viasat platform. It came to Com Hem in Sweden on May 23, 2008.
On May 13, 2009 special feeds of the channel for the Danish and Norwegian markets were launched.