Critically Acclaimed Special 'Inside 9/11' Sets Ratings Records Across Every Metric for National Geographic Channel

Critically Acclaimed Special 'Inside 9/11' Sets Ratings Records Across Every Metric for National Geographic Channel

Part One Viewed by More Than 6 million People; NGC Takes Number One Position in Key Categories Among All Cable Networks

WASHINGTON, Aug. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- National Geographic Channel (NGC) set the latest in a string of ratings records for the young network with the mini- series "Inside 9/11," which premiered over two nights Sunday and Monday, Aug. 21 & 22. NGC broke a 2.0 rating for the first time with Part One: "War on America" which earned a 2.5 HH/2.0 P25-54 rating and then achieved an impressive 3.6 HH rating with Part Two: "Zero Hour" Monday night, which also a earned a 2.9 P25-54 rating.

"Inside 9/11" led to two consecutive record prime ratings for the network -- both in households and demos, landing NGC among the top three cable networks in prime for the first time on Sunday night. The special also led the network to its highest rated day average, highest rated week and set the stage for Q3 04 to set a new record, the network's sixth record quarter since January 2004.

"Our network is less than 5 years old and has produced thousands of hours of programming, but 'Inside 9/11' may be the most important four hours we've ever produced," said NGC President Laureen Ong. "It is immensely gratifying that it was viewed by so many people since the information was intended to broaden the perspective and deepen the understanding on a topic that could not be more relevant."

Due to the overwhelming response to the show, NGC will encore the entire 4 hour special in a single night, this Friday, August 26 from 7-11 p.m. ET / 8- midnight PT and again on Thursday, Sept. 8 at the same times. Additionally, there will be an encore on the 4th anniversary of the attack on Sunday, Sept. 11 from 1-5 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. PT.

Ratings highlights for the August 21 premiere of Part One: "War on America" include:

* More than 6 million persons 2+ tuned in, including more than 3.5 million
P25-54.

* More than 2.1 million persons 2+ on average watched Inside 9/11 from 9-
11 p.m. ET on Sunday night -- the first time NGC has broken the 2
million mark.

* NGC ranked as the #1 cable network in M25-54 with a 2.3 rating from 9-11
p.m., exceeding A&E, Animal Planet, Discovery, ESPN, History Channel,
SciFi, Spike, TBS, TLC, TNT, and USA Network.

* NGC ranked as the #2 cable network in P25-54 with a 2.0 rating from 9-11
p.m., exceeding A&E, Animal Planet, Discovery, History Channel,
Lifetime, SciFi, TBS, TLC and TNT.

* NGC ranked as the #4 cable network in HH with a 2.5 rating from 9-11
p.m., exceeding ABC Family, A&E, Animal Planet, Cartoon Network,
Discovery, History Channel, MTV, TLC and TNT.

* 1.9 HH prime rating, up 428% from Q3 05 prime avg in HH rating.

* 1.5 P25-54 prime rating, up 605% from Q3 05 prime avg in P25-54 rating.

* .7 HH total day rating, up 191% from Q3 05 avg.

* .4 P25-54 total day rating, up 50% from Q4 04.

Ratings highlights for the August 22 premiere of Part Two: "Zero Hour" include:

* NGC ranked as the #1 cable network in P25-54 with a 2.9 rating from 9-11
p.m., exceeding A&E, Animal Planet, Discovery, ESPN, History Channel,
SciFi, Spike,TBS, TLC, TNT and USA Network.

* NGC ranked as the #2 cable network in HH with a 3.6 rating from 9-11
p.m., exceeding ABC Family, A&E, Animal Planet, Cartoon Network,
Discovery, History Channel, MTV, TLC, TBS and TNT.

* NGC ranked as the #2 cable network in M25-54 with a 3.3 rating from 9-11
p.m., exceeding A&E, Animal Planet, Discovery, ESPN, History Channel,
SciFi, TBS, TLC, TNT, and USA Network.

* 2.9 HH prime rating, up 700% from Q3 05 prime avg in HH rating.

* 2.2 P25-54 prime rating, up 952% from Q3 05 prime avg in P25-54 rating.

* .87 HH total day rating, up 278% from Q3 05 avg.

* .62 P25-54 total day rating, up 416% from Q4 04.

Note: The cume for Monday night is not yet available and is expected to exceed the 6 million from Sunday night.

LOCAL RATINGS: Inside 9/11 also set HH record ratings for a single show in many local markets for one or both nights. Highlights include:

* New York: 2.8
* Los Angeles: 1.6
* Philadelphia: 1.5
* Boston: 1.6
* Washington, D.C.: 1.9
* Detroit: 3.2
* Houston: 2.9
* Minneapolis: 3.6
* Orlando: 2.6
* St. Louis: 4.1
* Indianapolis: 3.2
* Charlotte: 3.4
* Raleigh Durham: 5.5
* Kansas City: 3.1
* Milwaukee: 4.5
* Cincinnati: 5.2
* Columbus: 4.2
* San Antonio: 4.2
* Birmingham: 2.5
* Greensboro: 6.2
* Austin: 4.7

"Inside 9/11" presents a comprehensive and compelling perspective on that tragic day that goes beyond what's been widely reported to reveal a clearer picture of events. With meticulous attention to detail and firsthand storytelling, "Inside 9/11" traces the timeline that led up to the deadly attacks, spanning decades and circling the globe to lay bare the roots of al Qaeda and the transformation of Osama bin Laden from fundraiser to terrorist mastermind. The mini-series also deconstructs the fateful day, tracking the movements of all four terrorist teams and patching together the ad hoc response of the United States government.

Source: Nielsen Media Research

Based at National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C., the National Geographic Channel is a joint venture between National Geographic Television & Film (NGT&F) and Fox Cable Networks. National Geographic Channel debuted to an initial 10 million homes in January 2001, and has been one of the fastest growing networks in history. The Channel has carriage with all of the nation's major cable and satellite television providers, making it currently available to 55 million homes. For more information, please visit http://www.nationalgeographic.com/channel.

Source: National Geographic Channel

CONTACT: Russell Howard, +1-202-912-6652, RHoward@natgeochannel.com
Chris Albert, +1-202-912-6526, CAlbert@natgeochannel.com, both of the National
Geographic Channel; or Nord Wennerstrom of The Fratelli Group,
+1-202-496-2124, Nwennerstrom@Fratelli.com, for National Geographic Channel

Web site: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/channel

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