A video is doing the rounds on social media claiming that National Geographic and related network channels have shut down operations starting 28 December 2023. Let’s fact-check this claim through this article.
Claim: The operations of National Geographic and other related network channels were halted from 28 December 2023.
Fact: Disney closed the National Geographic TV channel and five other channels in 2023. However, this was limited to Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Korea. National Geographic TV channel is still operational in other parts of the world. As of January 2024, Disney, the company that owns National Geographic, has not made any official statement regarding such a channel closure. Hence, the claim made in the post is Misleading.
A quick Google search with relevant keywords to check the veracity of the viral claim led us to many news reports (here, here, and here) from 2023 related to this matter.
Variety reported in June 2023 that Disney was closing six TV channels in Southeast Asia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Korea. “The channels concerned are National Geographic, National Geographic Wild, Star Chinese Movies, Star Chinese Channel, Star Movies, and Star World. Linear services will end from September in Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, and Korea, and by December in Taiwan.” Variety reported.
But then, reportedly, they also expected to retain a streamlined TV portfolio in Japan, China, Australia, and New Zealand. As of January 2024, there are no news reports or official press releases (neither on their website nor on their official social media handles) by Disney announcing the closure of the National Geographic channel operations. In 2023, a few YouTube users posted the videos of the last aired minutes of these channels in the Southeast Asia region.
Furthermore, one can also see the channel numbers on which the National Geographic channel is broadcasting on its official website. Also, in 2023, reports surfaced that National Geographic magazine had laid off the last of its staff writers and that it would be taken off the racks this year (here, here, and here)
To sum up, National Geographic channel has not ended its TV channel operations worldwide.
