National Geographic Global Networks
National Geographic Global Networks (formerly National Geographic Channels Worldwide and National Geographic Channels International) is a business unit within National Geographic Partners (a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company and the National Geographic Society) and Disney General Entertainment Content (who handles distribution and advertising sales for National Geographic Global Networks) that oversees the National Geographic-branded television channels: National Geographic, Nat Geo Kids, Nat Geo Music, Nat Geo People and Nat Geo Wild and National Geographic Studios. The unit itself was a joint operation between 21st Century Fox (21CF) and the Society, but it was  later integrated into the new joint venture National Geographic Partners which they formed in 2015. On March 20, 2019, 21CF's share in National Geographic Partners was assumed by Disney, following its acquisition of most 21CF businesses. History. National Geographic had move towards launch a US cable channel in 1982, but backed out. National Geographic Television, National Geographic Society for profit TV arm, and NBC formed a joint venture, National Geographic Channels (NGC). NGC then partnered with BSkyB to launched on September 1, 1997 National Geographic Channel services in U.K. and Ireland via BSkyB, Scandinavia via Telenor and Australia via  Foxtel. Foxtel and BSkyB were then owned in some form by Rupert Murdoch. Sandy McGovern was president of NGC at the time. The 50/50 partnership was formed to expand NatGeo's National Geographic Television's productions, head by Tim Kelly, that was producing National Geographic Explorer for CBS. The original American version of the channel was launched on January 1, 2001 with Laureen Ong as president and Andrew Wilk as head of programming. National Geographic Society took down its museum and build a TV studio. At the time, the NatGeo kept its TV production unit and got a "sweet heart  guarantee production contract of 44 hours per year at an estimated $500,000 per hour of TV. Additional National Geographic channels in other parts of the world were also launched under the original joint venture. In 2007, Ong was replaced by David Lyle, from the just closed Fox Reality channel, as CEO and president Howard Owens. In 2010, the company launched Nat Geo Wild channel in the US to go up against competitor Discovery channel. Ratings dropped as a whole and Lyle and Owens left in 2014. Courteney Monroe moved up from her head marketing post to take over NGC 	National Geographic Global Networks
8117255	US. National Geographic Partners unit. On September 9, 2015, the Society announced that it would reorganize its media properties and publications into a new company known as National Geographic Partners, which would be 73% owned by 21st Century Fox. This new, for-profit, corporation would own National Geographic" and other magazines, as well as its affiliated television channels—most of which were already owned in joint ventures with Fox. In October 2016, it was announced that the National Geographic Channel, the flagship documentary channel, would drop the word "Channel" from its name. Channels by region. All of National Geographic-branded  television channels are operated as a part of this unit's business. The Society provides most of programming on the channels, while Disney's broadcast-related units (Walt Disney Television in the United States and Fox Networks Group outside the United States) handle distribution and advertisement sales of the channels. In most cases internationally, the National Geographic and Fox channels cross-promote each other. In some territories, the versions of National Geographic channels are directly operated by Disney. Asia. NGC Network Asia, LLC operates all of National Geographic-branded television channels across Asia except Japan. NGC Network Asia previously represented  television channels from Fox International Channels (FIC) in the region, but they were transferred to the newly formed Asian branch of FIC in the 2009 reorganization of Star TV. The Asian operations also oversee National Geographic TV channels in the Middle East and North Africa (except Israel). Europe. The European operations also oversee National Geographic TV channels in Israel, Australia and New Zealand. It is also responsible for the channels in Sub-Saharan Africa.