National Geographic, which counts Disney as its majority owner, is launching a new subscription deal that combines a Nat Geo digital membership, print issues from the publication, and the streaming service Disney+ into one offering. The deal, called National Geographic Premium With Disney+, launches this week at $10.99 per month or $109 per year (there’s also a two-year plan for $190).
National Geographic Premium With Disney+ includes Disney+ and a digital subscription to National Geographic, with access to the app, exclusive subscriber newsletters, and content. But it also includes National Geographic’s annual “Year in Pictures” print issue and ten issues of Nat Geo Kids for annual subscribers. Nat Geo’s family-friendly brand opens the door to a wide range of potential buyers. Nat Geo is a centerpiece of Disney+ already, with its own “tile” of content in the app. In February, Nat Geo announced over a dozen programs that will debut exclusively on the streaming service this year. The new offer is seen as one way that fans of the brand can ensure they get access to all of that content.
All bundle subscribers, including those opting for a monthly subscription priced at $10.99 per month, will also receive ten print issues of Nat Geo Kids magazine (its combined June/July and Dec/Jan issues are excluded), a weekly newsletter featuring Nat Geo’s best stories, and Nat Geo’s annual “Year in Pictures” special print edition – plus access to natgeo.com, the Nat Geo app, and the brand’s full online archive.
The offer is meant to tie together the different strings of National Geographic and let users read, watch, or otherwise consume Nat Geo content in the format most useful to them. The offer is launching ahead of Earth Day on April 22, with Nat Geo betting that it can drive new interest around the flurry of exclusive content on Disney+ that Nat Geo has planned, including docs like "Explorer: The Last Tepui." The deal also underscores the degree to which Disney is beginning to leverage its streaming service to benefit other parts of its business.
Leveraging Nat Geo’s demographically broad fan base also ties into Disney+’s push to ramp up its recently slowing subscriber growth by expanding content with an appeal to adults. “National Geographic Premium with Disney+ is the latest offering in our vision to ensure that anyone, at any time, on any platform, can have access to in-depth, comprehensive, and fact-based storytelling through one seamless experience,” said Julie Galvin, Vice President, Marketing at National Geographic Media.
The original Disney bundle (Disney+, Hulu & ESPN+) played a major part in driving Disney+’s phenomenal growth, and the company is clearly intent on employing the cross-platform concept as widely as possible. Earlier this month, Disney launched another cross-property promotion, in which Disney+ subscribers who link those accounts to Disney theme park accounts can get Disney resort hotel-room discounts of up to 25% between July and September.
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