National Geographic Digital Media Group Creates Production Unit To Supply Short-Form Videos For Broadband Space

License Agreement Signed with MSN

WASHINGTON -- National Geographic’s Digital Media Group has launched a short-form production unit to create premium video content specifically for the broadband marketplace. Striking its latest distribution agreement with MSN, National Geographic’s new broadband production unit has already delivered instantly accessible premium video, ranging from the unique relationship between tiger sharks and albatrosses to the far-reaching impact of hurricane Katrina, to consumers on MSN Video at http://msnvideo.com. MSN attracts more than 420 million unique users worldwide per month and is a world leader in delivering Web services to consumers and digital marketing solutions to businesses worldwide

Heading up the new broadband production effort is National Geographic’s Gil Pimentel, a five-time Emmy Award winner and recipient of the Alfred I. Dupont-Columbia University Award. Reporting to Betsy Scolnik, vice president of content operations, National Geographic Digital Media, Pimentel oversees a team of producers, editors and researchers, who comprise the new broadband content group.

Matthew White, executive vice president for Digital Media, said, “Digital and broadband have opened a huge window of opportunity for content rights holders. Combining our production and creative expertise with the lessons learned from the text, photography and music pioneers that came before us, we are taking positive, progressive steps to build new and sustainable business models that only increase the value of the assets we manage. We are proud to launch this new broadband video production unit and are looking forward to delivering many captivating videos to MSN and other broadband platforms.”

According to terms of the non-exclusive license agreement with MSN, National Geographic will provide topical, informative and in-the-news video clips each week on MSN Video. MSN Video provides consumers fast-loading, high-quality pictures in an easy-to-use interface. The videos will appeal to consumers who enjoy the images that have made National Geographic one of the top media brands in the world.

Pimentel brings an array of network news and public affairs programming experience to the new unit. A 15-year veteran of ABC News, he served as a producer for “Nightline,” senior producer/story editor for “Good Morning America” and executive producer of “Lifetime Live,” an ABC News production for Lifetime Network. In 2001, he joined National Geographic to launch “Inside Base Camp,” for which the National Geographic Channel was awarded an Emmy in its first year of operation.
To date, National Geographic has produced more than 5,000 short-form videos for various platforms, including education and mobile, for both the domestic and international marketplace.

National Geographic Digital Media distributes digital content globally to the education, mobile, videogame, stock footage and broadband markets, and through nationalgeographic.com. Digital Media is responsible for National Geographic’s archive and repository for all film and videotape material produced by National Geographic Television & Film (NGT&F). It also represents footage from National Film Board of Canada, World Bank, ZDF Enterprises, WPA Film Library, ABC Australia and the White House Historical Association in select territories. Its fully catalogued, searchable database is available online at www.ngtlibrary.com. National Geographic Digital Media is a division of National Geographic Ventures, a wholly owned, taxable subsidiary of the National Geographic Society.

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Caryn Davidson

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National Geographic

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