David Haslingden

October 2007

National Geographic Channels International (NGCI) invites viewers to re-think the way they see television—and the world—with smart, innovative programming. Owned by National Geographic Television (NGT) and FOX Entertainment Group, NGCI produces and airs content that helps further the National Geographic Society’s commitment to exploration, conservation and education. Launched initially in Europe, NGCI celebrates its tenth anniversary this year. As CEO of National Geographic Channels International and National Geographic Channel U.S., David Haslingden oversees services that are now available in more than 250 million homes in 166 countries and 34 languages worldwide, and to more than 64 million homes in the U.S. He talks to TV Docs about building an even stronger connection with viewers around the world who are so fond of the National Geographic brand.

TV DOCS: National Geographic Channel got into the international channel business some years after other factual channels. What were the advantages and disadvantages of launching services when others were already established?

HASLINGDEN: There were plenty of disadvantages in being late. Other brands like Discovery were already well-established and distribution is always hard to get. Early mover advantage is as critical in our business as it is in most businesses. The only late-mover advantage was avoiding some proven missteps.

For example, we were certainly very mindful not to launch sibling networks until we really felt that we could program them in a way that was consistent with the National Geographic brand.

TV DOCS: Your distribution has certainly grown.

HASLINGDEN: We’ve done a good job in building distribution all around the world. But there are still some markets where we have a very large disadvantage against Discovery. Discovery is in nearly every home in the U.S. and we’re still in less than 70 million homes. In the international markets, by and large, we have caught up at least for the main National Geographic Channel. We lag behind Discovery with the distribution of some of our other channels.

TV DOCS: When you have a brand as strong as National Geographic, people come to expect a certain level of quality. In producing and commissioning programming for the channel, have your teams been able to work within the parameters of a very strong brand?

HASLINGDEN: Absolutely. You have to draw a line between some aspects of the product that you must deliver and other aspects that are completely flexible.

For example, for the National Geographic brand, you always have to deliver product with factual accuracy and a high quality level. But you can be as flexible as you like in terms of the technology used to deliver it, or the language you use to deliver it in. And the demands that the National Geographic Society place on us as the National Geographic Channel are really simple, and frankly, they make very good business sense. They demand that our product lives up to the quality that National Geographic is famous for. They demand that we are always factually accurate. They demand that the way we project the brand, the visual imagery that we surround it with, and the creative style with which we depict it, is engaging and very good work. One can hardly complain to the Society that they’re imposing unfair strictures on the way we conduct our business.

TV DOCS: In today’s crowded multichannel environment, does a high-quality offering help National Geographic stand out from other channels?

HASLINGDEN: I think that’s right. A crowded and fragmented environment also plays into the hands of a strong brand. As the opportunities for viewers to be entertained and access information grow, these brands become absolutely essential beacons to guide customers to places they are comfortable with and they value. The National Geographic brand is inestimably valuable and it’s bound to become more valuable as time goes on. The brand is a living, breathing thing and the health of the brand is always dependent on the work of all the various tentacles of the Society and of the channel.

And particularly, since we are in a period in which issues like global warming and sustainability are important, it’s critical that the Society and the channel continue to fulfill viewers’ expectations of being active, influential and important in these areas. The brand is something that we take very, very seriously and are really committed to.

When you talk about what differentiates National Geographic from other channels, it’s that National Geographic, much more so than any other brand in the total media landscape, generates very emotional and passionate reactions from viewers. And the reason for that is not just because they go to our channel and see programs that move or engage them. It’s because, over a lifetime, the brand has grown to represent something to those people that they regard as important and aspirational. They feel that way because it’s not just a TV brand; it’s not just a media brand; it’s not just a magazine brand. The channel is one entertainment arm of one of the world’s oldest and most important non-profit organizations working in the fields of conservation, sustainability and education.

That’s what differentiates us. When you walk around the floor at National Geographic and you see the energy and enthusiasm and passion that people put into working on the channel, that’s what also differentiates our working environment from others. People really feel that it’s a great honor, a wonderful thing to be working at National Geographic on a National Geographic product.

TV DOCS: As you have built teams in various parts of the world, has it been difficult to generate that same enthusiasm for the brand?

HASLINGDEN: Not at all, and I really believe that we have the best working environment and the most intent, driven, energized and engaged staff of any of our competitors by far. There are a lot of reasons for that but one of them is that we have a brand that resonates with people more strongly than any of our competitors.

TV DOCS: Are there plans for any new channel launches?

HASLINGDEN: We will launch a 24-hour music channel globally called Nat Geo Music, with the first debut on October 15 in Italy on the SKY Italia platform. The channel will feature top artists from international as well as local repertoires and will celebrate diversity through music. We think Nat Geo Music fills a significant void in current conventional music offerings. With its international scope, not only are viewers able to explore their world using music as a vehicle, they are tuned in to a huge variety of artists who are transforming the industry globally.

TV DOCS: Because the multichannel environment is so crowded, is it more difficult to launch a successful new channel these days than it was 15 or 20 years ago?

HASLINGDEN: The safe answer to that is “of course,” but honestly, I’m not so sure. I still think there are great possibilities to launch new channels, but you need two things, and without these two things no matter how much you think about it, or plan for it, it isn’t going to work. You need a great brand and you need global infrastructure, by which I mean a global group of people who get the markets, who get marketing, who get programming, get brands and get what’s needed to build the connection with the customer.

If you have those two things I think there is plenty of potential to continue to build on a connection that a brand like National Geographic has in a whole myriad of ways, and that is what is so exciting about this technological revolution we’re going through.

The analog spectrum used to physically put a cap on what could be done. Now with digital there are no capacity limitations. It’s really the best ideas, the best brands, the best connections, the best marketers, the best programmers who win.

TV DOCS: Big events are very important in the channel business because they draw a lot of attention and capture viewers.

HASLINGDEN: Absolutely, even more so perhaps with the National Geographic Channel than other media organizations because we can use a topic across so many different platforms. Everything from an announcement of something that has scientific significance in the academic community, to the same thing being a fantastic global television event, to being the basis of the publication of a new book, to being an article in the magazine and the cover story, to being photographic exhibits all around the world or a traveling display of never-seen-before antiquities. Lectures by explorers or adventurers that once could only have been held in a few places…can now be done online to millions of people simultaneously around the world.

More and more we will try to build out these things as cross-platform events. And do them better and more often. Again, it goes back to that strategy of building a more engaging, deeper, richer, longer-lasting connection with our viewers.