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Our Bureau

New Delhi, May 21 National Geographic Channel (NGC) Network is launching four new channels in India. Nat Geo Wild, Nat Geo Adventure, Nat Geo Music and Nat Geo HD (High Definition) will be available to viewers within two weeks of the licences, which are pending with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, being granted.

According to Mr Nikhil Mirchandani, MD –South Asia, NGC, the company is in talks with partners across the platform including DTH, IPTV and cable. “We have been present for more than 10 years and a lot of work on the ground has gone into establishing our brand. We will be extending the same values, the same integrity to the new channels,” said Mr Mirchandani. The high budget programmes commissioned from the best production houses and film makers, are costing the media company more. “The American dollar has lost a lot of value, and the cost of production is going up in every market. What used to cost me half a million is costing me $600,000 today,” said Mr Sydney Suissa, Executive VP- Content, NGC International, who was in town to announce the network’s expansion.

Shooting in High Definition, increases the cost by another 10 per cent. Today, 95 per cent of the network’s programmes are produced in HD. The company has nonetheless increased its original programming to 350-400 hours this year compared to the 320 hours last year.

National Geographic has stubbornly refused to dumb down content, and “Trust me the pressures are high,” said Mr Suissa. So what does National Geographic do? “Drive the sales team harder,” he said.

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