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BT Vision 2 adds National Geographic channels, but what is it?

BT Vision has added National Geographic and Nat Geo Wild to its broadband-delivered line-up ahead of a  relaunch ‘within weeks’.

The live channels join Watch, Gold, Alibi and FX under the starter’s orders for the mysterious BT Vision 2, which will launch in the next few weeks.

BT Vision already has some National Geographic shows via on-demand, but the new deal will bring the channels as live streaming and catch-up on-demand.

Bloody Tales from the Tower

Shows such as Air Crash Investigation, Seconds from Disaster, Bloody Tales from the Tower and The Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan will be available for seven days after broadcast.

Marc Watson, chief executive of BT Vision, said: “We are delighted to have signed a linear deal with an incredible brand like National Geographic Channel for these two channels.

“We already offer some NGC shows on demand and are delighted that our customers will soon be able to enjoy shows live on BT Vision.

“With channels like UKTV Gold, FX and now NGC, we are building a fantastic portfolio of TV channels that we hope will really appeal to our customers.”

Far from being a brilliantly-obscure codename for YouView, the hybrid broadcast and broadband TV venture in which BT is a partner, BT Vision 2 is actually a relaunch of BT’s own six-year-old hybrid TV service.

A BT spokesman told Recombu Digital that BT Vision 2 is a ‘freshening up’ of the in-house service, including a new-look user interface and new hardware, but it will run alongside of YouView.

“BT Vision will carry on and we are signing up a bunch of channels,” the spokesman added. “There will be an upgrade available this summer if you have already got the BT Vision box, and new customers will be able to get a new box.”

National Geographic’s most popular shows include Air Crash Investigation, now in its tenth season, examines plane crashes and near-disasters in great detail, in order to pinpoint the causes using gripping survivor accounts and re-enactments.

Seconds from Disaster probes some of history’s most notorious tragedies, counting down the final minutes before disaster and revealing fresh perspectives on these chilling disasters. Bloody Tales from the Tower sees investigator Joe Crowley and historian Dr Suzannah Lipscomb probe the grisly history of the Tower of London.

Jason Thorp, of Fox International Channels UK, said: “We are thrilled to extend our relationship with BT Vision from a purely on-demand offering.

“Having both National Geographic Channel and Nat Geo Wild available in a linear capacity will enable BT to benefit from our series launches, events and big marketing pushes which will deliver a greater volume of viewers to on demand content and the wider BT Vision service.”

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