The National Geographic Society and Fox Networks Group-owned Nat Geo Wild channel officially launched yesterday (March 29) with carriage commitments from cable operators representing nearly 40 million cable subscribers, according to Fox executives.
Nat Geo Wild -- an adaptation of an existing international Nat Geo service that will offer mostly animal-based content - will get the majority of its carriage from a takeover at the end of the month of the channel slot left by the departure of the nearly 50 million-subscriber Fox Reality Channel. In addition, Nat Geo Wild has also reached a carriage agreement with Cablevision Systems Corp., although it's unclear when the MSO will launch the channel or how many Cablevision subscribers will receive it.
Reality Channel affiliates DirecTv and MediaCom have yet to complete a carriage deal for Nat Geo Wild, although a Fox Networks Group spokesman said the network is "discussing the launch of the network" with both distributors.
"The premiere of Nat Geo Wild to nearly 40 million subscribers is one of the most successful and widely distributed network launches in cable history and clearly demonstrates the tremendous drawing power of the National Geographic brand and its content," said the spokesman.
