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NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXPANDS ITS WORLD
The National Geographic Society, a long-standing American icon has become an international icon too. Since 1888 the Society has brought the world to its English-speaking members and readers, and in the past 10 years it has dramatically shifted its focus to bringing international readers, television viewers and Web visitors the Society's unique brand of storytelling in their own languages. The Society now reaches more than 300 million people each month through its official journal, National Geographic, and its four other magazines; the National Geographic Channel; television documentaries; films; radio programs; books; DVDs; maps; and interactive media. Founded nearly 120 years ago to "increase and diffuse geographic knowledge," the Society works to inspire people to care about the planet.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINES
- The famous yellow-bordered National Geographic magazine, the Society's official journal renowned for its legendary photographs, maps and reporting excellence, is read by more than 40 million people in English and 30 local-language editions, in every country in the world.
- National Geographic magazine's total monthly circulation is around 8.5 million copies. International circulation is more than 3 million monthly, of which more than 2.1 million copies are in languages other than English.
- Since the first local-language edition of National Geographic magazine was launched in Japan in 1995, the magazine has expanded to 30 editions in 28 languages other than English: Japanese, Spanish, Italian, Greek, Hebrew, Orthodox Hebrew, French, German, Polish, Korean, Portuguese, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Dutch, Chinese (traditional characters), Finnish, Turkish, Thai, Czech, Hungarian, Romanian, Russian, Croatian, Bahasa, Bulgarian, Slovenian and Serbian.
- One in four National Geographic readers read the magazine in a language other than English.
- More than 40 percent of National Geographic magazine readers now live outside the United States, and the number is growing. Just nine years ago, 80 percent of readers lived in the United States.
- National Geographic is the only general-interest magazine in the world where multiple editions in multiple languages are published simultaneously around the globe. Each local-language edition contains about 10-15 percent of local content, but the core magazine is identical in every market every month.
- Viajes, a Spanish-language edition of National Geographic Traveler magazine, is published in Spain and is that country's top-selling travel magazine. Traveler is also published in Hebrew, Chinese, Russian, Polish and Dutch.
- A Spanish-language history magazine, Historia National Geographic, launched in Spain in November 2003.
- National Geographic children's magazines are published in Germany, Romania, Russia and Slovenia, Latin America, South Africa, Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, the Netherlands and Belgium, Turkey, Hungary, the United Kingdom, Egypt and Greece.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHANNEL
- National Geographic Channels International reaches more than 250 million households in 34 languages in 166 countries: Arabic, Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Mandarin, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai and Turkish. It is the one of the fastest-growing cable channels in the world, available on every inhabited continent.
- The Channel launched in the United States in January 2001 and is now available in 64 million homes, bringing its total global reach to nearly 300 million households.
- The Channel also contributes to the Society's mission of exploration, education and conservation.
OTHER AREAS OF GLOBALIZATION
- The Society has funded more than 8,000 research projects in 181 countries, with 40 percent of its grants going to non-U.S. individuals. A Global Exploration Fund was launched in Germany, Portugal, Mexico and Australia in 2003 to encourage scientific research in those countries.
- The Expeditions Council was formed in 1998 to foster exploration and adventure, especially in parts of the world that are unknown.
- The National Geographic Conservation Trust was established in December 2001 to support innovative conservation activities around the world.
- The National Geographic World Championship, a global geography competition is held every two years. In 2007, students from 17 countries participated.
- National Geographic Digital Media, part of National Geographic Ventures, the wholly owned, taxable subsidiary of the National Geographic Society, publishes Nationalgeographic.com; manages marketing and content partnerships across consumer digital platforms; and provides video and film footage to commercial, theatrical, education and other digital footage markets.
Digital Motion agents represent peer-level archives in select territories around the world.
(ngdigitalmotion.com)
- The Society's Web site averages 12 million unique visitors a month from Internet users worldwide. There are 35 local-language Web sites and 18 local-language Channel Web sites.
- National Geographic books are distributed in 75 countries in more than 30 languages. More than 300 titles are available.
- National Geographic Home Entertainment distributes the best National Geographic films and TV programming on DVD. More than 27 million videos and DVDs have been sold 65 countries in 24 languages.
- National Geographic maps are available wherever the magazine is published.
- National Geographic Television International (NGTI), based in London, licenses more than 1,200 program titles to broadcasters around the globe.
- National Geographic partners with hundreds of international companies to market and distribute its products globally.
- National Geographic Expeditions offers over 100 trips a year to every continent and around the world.
- National Geographic Museum organizes several traveling exhibits to global destinations each year. National Geographic is a partner in the blockbuster "Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs" exhibit currently traveling the US and opening in London November 2007.
8/07
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Contacts:
Sarah Clark
National Geographic
202-828-5664
sclark@ngs.org
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