ica2 report

8/3/2019 ICA2 Report

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I. Executive Summary

II. Introduction Research Problem and Aim

III. Research ObjectivesIV. Research DesignV. Research Method and SamplingVI. Data Analysis and FindingsVII. Conclusions and RecommendationsVIII.

Appendices

I. Executive Summary:


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From past researches, we found out that Nat Geos main target audience group are viewers aged

18 to 54, of which, 54% of the total viewers belongs to the group aged 25 to 54. Also, the most

frequently scheduled program genres are Natural Mystery or Wildlife, with

Science/Engineering in the second place (refer to Appendix 2.3 Programming). From this

research, we thus want to determine the profile of viewers Nat Geo has in Singapore, and lookinto those under the age of 25. Our research aim is to find out which genre (out of the 5 main

genres stated above) of programs appeals and is most popular with the different demographic

groups of Singaporean viewers. We also want to prove if our hypothesis of An increase in

programs of genres on National Geography Channel can help in increasing the number of

viewers aged under 25. with the help of objectives to guide us along the course of research

design and data collection.

Our main research objectives will include:

1. To understand the position of the National Geography Channel in Singaporean audiences

minds and the profile of its audiences in Singapore.

2. To understand the market of demographic group under 25.

3. To find out which program genre is most appealing to each demographic group of Singaporean

viewers.

4. To find out what audiences feel that the National Geography Channel can improve in

(programming/scheduling).

5. To find out extend of attention audiences give to advertisements aired in the middle of/between

programs.

6. To help National Geography Channel determine if their program scheduling tactics are

effective or not.7. To determine if an increase in a particular genre of program will help National Geography

Channel attract more viewers.

In order to achieve the stated aim and objectives, we have designed a research to help us obtain

the desired primary data for us to analyse and ultimately come up with a conclusion if our

hypothesis stands.

We have decided to embark on quantitative research using surveys distributed online to a sample

size of 106. We have decided on using Convenience Sampling due to time constraints and lackof resources, but still narrow our samples down to respondents with access or are subscribed to

National Geography Channel to ensure certain accuracy in our data collected. Different forms of

questions and tools of measurement are also used in our questionnaire so that we can measure

the variables of the research, allowing us to draw to conclusions in analysis.

After a week of survey distribution, we have managed to collect and compile our data into

percentages and pie charts for easy references so that at one look, we are able to understand our

data clearly and minus chances of misinterpreting our data.


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Profiling of our respondents can be seen that most of our respondents are aged 14 to 19 years

old. Of which, 86% of our respondents falls in the category of 14 to 25 years old, which is one

main demographic group we wanted to look into. 74% of the total respondents enjoy a monthly

income of lesser than SGD2000 which allowed us to infer that our majority of our respondents

are still students or young adults.

80% of our total respondents do watch National Geographic at least on a basis regardless of

often, seldom, or even rarely. It has shown that 31% of our respondents consider themselves only

watching the channel less than rarely. Responses from the open-ended questions like when we

have the time or amidst switching channels gained our attention about the viewing habits of

these respondents on Nat Geo Channel.

Moving on, 25% our respondents spend less than 30 minutes on the channel and only 23% spend

at least 1 2 hours on the channel. The remaining 15% may spent even lesser than 30 minutes on

the channel. This shows that respondents may only watch the channel due to certain programmes

and also suggest that viewing habits may be a factor for channel to notice when trying to garner

audiences.

As our respondents are mostly students, this information seems reliable as they are only able to

watch television after school which is in the afternoon or evening/night. Our older respondents

also stated that they only watch the channel during their free time evening after work.

We can conclude that the Nat Geo Channel do enjoy a certain level of popularity with audiences

age under 25 (something that could not be determined in the previous research) and that the

audiences age under 25 do provide a market that Nat Geo Channel can venture into with

probably new scheduling or programming tactics, also, understanding of their viewing habits.

Wildlife programs are most preferred by our respondents with Travel coming in second. A minor

group of older respondents tend to prefer National History over other genres with the main

reason to be their interest in that respective genre. We managed to determine that the main-seller

that Nat Geo Channel is selling Wildlife programs is indeed most preferred by our

respondents.

Going into advertisement viewership, 82% of our respondents claim that they do not watch the

advertisements on National Geographic. This tells us a lot about the amount of attention given to

Nat Geo Channel and the viewing habits of our respondents. That we may infer our respondents

to be watching National Geography by chance, and switching to other channels/doing other

activities when an advertisement break starts. Respondents may thus be distracted during

watching Nat Geo Channel.

We are thus able to conclude that our hypothesis do to stand to a limited extend as Wildlife is

most preferred according to our data, but Travel comes in second after that. However, we have

raised to a new issue of scheduling and programming tactics or the channel, as well as the

viewing habits of the audiences which are areas of further research that can be looked into by

Nat Geo Channel due to the limitations of our channel to help Nat Geo Channel understand their

audiences better and build on their subscriptions.


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II. Introduction:

The National Geography Channel was first broadcast in Australia and Europe on September

1997. The channel now airs in 143 countries worldwide and can be seen in approximately 160

million homes. Commercially abbreviated as Nat Geo, the channel features non - fiction, factual

programming genres mainly involving nature disasters, science/engineering, wildlife,

travel /society, and nationalhistory.

Nat Geo first step foot into Asia in 1994, through partnership and distribution with Hong Kong

based Pan-Asian satellite networkSTAR TV. As of 2008, the Asian version of National

Geographic Channel is available in over 56 million homes. (Refer to Appendix 2.1 About

National Geography Channel.)

Research Topic and Aim:

Based on our initial research from the Internet and relevant articles (refer to Appendix 2.2 Demographics of National Geography Channel), we realized that Nat Geos main target audience

group are viewers aged 18 to 54, of which, 54% of the total viewers belongs to the group aged 25

to 54. Also, the most frequently scheduled program genres are Natural Mystery or Wildlife,

with Science/Engineering in the second place (refer to Appendix 2.3 Programming). We want

to determine the profile of viewers Nat Geo has in Singapore from the age group of audience

under the age of 25, since majority of the viewers are aged 25 and above. Going along with the

research question of Can an increase in the frequent of schedule of program genres like

Travel/Society help in increasing viewers aged under 25?; our research aim is to find out

which genre (out of the 5 main genres stated above) of programs appeals and is most

popular with the different demographic groups of Singaporean viewers. In order to achieve

the desired primary data, we have decided to embark on quantitative research using surveys

distributed online to a sample size of 106.

III. Research Objectives:

Based on the above reasoning (refer to Introduction), we have come up with several objectives to

guide us in ultimately attaining our research aim:

8. To understand the position of the National Geography Channel in Singaporean audiencesminds and the profile of its audiences in Singapore.

9. To understand the market of demographic group under 25.

10. To find out audiences reason of attraction to the channel.

11. To find out which program genre is most appealing to each demographic group of Singaporean

viewers.

12. To find out what are the genres of programs on the National Geography Channel not appealing

to audiences (of the different demographic groups).

13. To find out what audiences feel that the National Geography Channel can improve in

(programming/scheduling).

14. To understand what the National Geography Channel is lacking in (in the audiences

perspectives).
http://non-fiction/http://nature/http://science/http://culture/http://history/http://history/http://tv/http://non-fiction/http://non-fiction/http://nature/http://science/http://culture/http://culture/http://culture/http://history/http://tv/http://tv/http://non-fiction/


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15. To find out extend of attention audiences give to advertisements aired in the middle of/between

programs.

16. To help National Geography Channel determine if their program scheduling tactics are

effective or not.

17. To help National Geography Channel determine if their advertising statics are effective or not.18. To determine if an increase in a particular genre of program will help National Geography

Channel attract more viewers.

19. To determine if an increase in programs of the genre Travel/Society will help attract more

viewers aged under 25.

IV. Research Design:

In the first step of our research design, we have to select and determine our research topic as well

as the scope of our research. As mentioned in our research problem, the National Geography

Channels main target audience group are viewers aged 18 to 54, of which, 54% of the total

viewers belong to the group aged 25 to 54. Also, the most frequently scheduled program genres

are Natural Mystery or Wildlife, with Science/Engineering in the second place (refer to

Appendix 2.3 Programming).

Based on secondary research, we found out that a research conducted in the previous years (refer

to Appendix 4.1 - Advertisement Viewership) indicated that advertisements shown on the Nat

Geo Channel was not being watched or viewed by audiences as they are often distracted during

commercial breaks, even though 59.2% of the participants watches Nat Geo for a minimum of 6

hours. In that particular research done, more than half the participants were above age 25 and

they enjoyed a rather high monthly income. This sample of participants rated Nat Geo highly

trustworthy and also, allowed Nat Geo Channel to conclude that only certain advertisement

breaks/spots on the National Geography Channel gained attention from the viewers effectively.

In the above research, we realized that there is a neglect of the audience group under 25 with

lower monthly income, thus we want to help Nat Geo Channel determine the profile of viewers it

has in Singapore focusing on the age group of audience under the age of 25. This way, we can

help Nat Geo understand their audiences and their market in Singapore better as we provide them

with preferences of the audiences not just for the group of audience above 25, but also for the

audience group below 25. Furthermore, with the rising popularity of the usage of social media(refer to Appendix 4.2 Usage of Social Media), Nat Geo will be able to reach these audiences

more quickly and double the effectiveness (in terms of both programming and advertising) if

they are able to target the specific genres that audiences are more interested in.

Also based on secondary research, we found out that there is an increase in Singaporeans

travelling overseas (refer to Appendix 4.3 Increase in Number of Singaporeans Travelling)

either by air or by sea. This leads us to thinking if an increase in the frequency of schedule of

program genres like Travel/Society will help in increase and attract viewers to watch/subscribe

to the National Geography Channel. Here, our hypothesis is being developed; An increase of

frequency in scheduling programs of genre like travel will increase the number of NationalGeography Channel viewers, especially those under the age of 25. By finding out which


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genre (out of the 5 main genres stated above) of programs appeals and is most popular with the

different demographic groups of Singaporean viewer, we can determine if our hypothesis stands

with analysis of the data we want to achieve.

In order to achieve the desired primary, we have decided to embark on quantitative research

method using surveys distributed online to a sample size of 106. We will give our

respondents/samples a fixed set of questions which were designed by us beforehand, which will

be the variable that we control. In context to our research, the independent variable will be our

respondents, we have to ensure that our respondents do subscribe and have access to Nat Geo

Channel so as to ensure accuracy of our research survey. The dependent variables will be both

the genres of programs our respondents prefer, and also the amount of time and attention they

give to Nat Geo Channels programs and advertisements, which is what we will observe.

According to our development of research aim, hypothesis/research question, we have come up

with survey questions (19 of them) pertaining issues like favourite genres, time when audiences

watch Nat Geo Channel. (Refer to Appendix 4.4 Survey Questions.)

V. Research Method and Sampling:

Due to constrain of time and resources, we have adopted the method of Convenience Sampling

which is a type of non-probability sampling. It involves the sample being drawn from that part of

the population which is close to hand, available and convenient. In this case, the

population/sample will be our fellow peers, friends and family members. However, due to the

usage on Convenience Sampling, we understand that this research is only able to give us an

understanding but not sufficient for us to generalize our date and inferences to a larger

population as our sample size is too small which contributes to a larger sampling error. In effortsto reduce the sampling error and to give our survey results a form of credibility, we have decided

to add in criteria for our respondents that they must subscribe or have access to the National

Geography Channel. Yet with Convenience Sampling, we found out that we will garner more

respondents who are age below 25, which helps us better determine our research hypothesis and

aim of finding out the preferred program genres of audiences aged below 25.

Before respondents get to the survey, they are being introduced the summary of the research

objectives in order to give them a better understanding of the research. Going along with our

research objectives, we have designed our survey in a way that the questionnaires are short,

clear, straight and precise to the point to avoid any chances of ambiguous. Our questions also

have a flow as the questions started with easy to difficult, where the first few questions are

more factual in nature (e.g. Age, Gender) and slowly moving to questions that are most opinion

in nature, requiring some thinking done (e.g. Preferred Genre). We have indicated questions that

are compulsory (refer to Appendix 4.4 Survey Questions), because these questions are

necessary for us to come to our analysis and conclusion. Multiple choices are used for our

compulsory questions in order to avoid confusion and to provide a platform direct-to-the-point

for respondents to state their opinions. This also helps us to keep respondents going in the

direction we want them to, and not move out-of-the-point and away from our research

direction and objectives. However, we have also indicated follow-up questions (e.g. Question 11of Survey Questions) to provide us with deeper insights of what our respondents thinks that can


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better help us to come to conclusion about our research hypothesis. For this, open-ended

questions are being used as to allow respondents to express freely and provide us with as much

opinions as they are willing to give.

In order to measure the variables observed, we have adopted a measurement tool of rankings and

scales. For example, as seen from survey question 12, we have our respondents to rank their

favourite program genres with 1 being their most preferred genre and 5 being the least. The

measuring distance between each number is deemed as equal hence we can have a clearer and

precise observation about how each genre is being preferred by the respondents, or vice-versa.

Question 19 is an example of our usage of measurement of scales, on a scale of 1 5,

respondents are asked to put on the scale how good or satisfying the National Geography

Channel is. These tools allow us to better measure the perception of National Geography

Channel in the audiences mind as it gives us a composite of measure of the variable.

Our survey is being distributed online through the Internet to our friends and respondents havingaccess to the Nat Geo Channel. The reason why we chose online instead of through telephone or

mail is because most of our respondents use the Internet over other mediums thus we will be able

to reach them more effectively and quicker using the Internet. The Internet is also convenient

and cost-saving as we are in lack of resources and time for our research. The Internet provides us

with a cost-free platform and allows us to distribute our survey for a longer period of time.

Adding on, we are able to get response quickly and monitor the responds we get better than the

other mediums. Even so, we do have to know that there is a risk of us not knowing if our

respondents are giving their true opinions and if the information they give us are factual.

After placing our survey online for a week, we managed to garner 106 respondents. Keeping ourlimitations in mind, we analyzed the data we obtained using charts and percentage.

VI. Data Analysis and Findings:

To start off our data analysis, out of a sample size of 106 people with access to the channel, we

have evaluated profiling of National Geographics viewers and also reviewed the channels

advertisement viewership. (Refer to Appendix 6.1 Data Chart.)

We have included several multiple-choice questions to determine our respondents profile. Not

only that, we have also included questions regarding race, marital status and monthly income,

and gender. Results have varied fairly in each category. For example, it has shown that all four

races in Singapore watch National Geographic. Out of our respondents ranged from below 13

years old to above 35 years old, as expected, most of our respondents are aged 14 to 19 years

old. Of which, 86% of our respondents falls in the category of 14 to 25 years old, which is a

demographic we wanted to look into. Thus, we can safely say that our research date is able to

look into the views of Nat Geo Channels audiences under age 25 as we mentioned in our

research problem that Nat Geo Channels previous research did somehow neglect this group of

target audience. To better determine that the majority of respondents are whom are research

intended to target, we found out that 74% of the total respondents enjoy a monthly income of


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lesser than SGD2000 which is definitely not considered high, and opposite of the respondents in

the previous research (refer to Introduction) which enjoyed high monthly income.

We have accumulated that 80% of our total respondents do watch National Geographic at least

on a basis regardless of often, seldom, or even rarely, with 69% admitting that they do watch the

channel for a significant period. However, National Geographic does not remain as a prominent

channel to its viewers. It has shown that 31% of our respondents consider themselves only

watching the channel less than rarely. Looking deeper into their responses, we found responses

from the open-ended questions like when we have the time or amidst switching channels.

This can also tie in with our next data analysis which shows 25% our respondents spend less than

30 minutes on the channel, 37% of them spend 30 minutes to 1 hour on the channel, and 23%

spending 1 2 hours on the channel. The remaining 15% may spent even lesser than 30 minutes

on the channel. From our understanding, most of the channels programmes are an hour long

each generally (with the exceptions of back-to-back episodes etc), this has shown that

respondents may only watch the channel due to certain programmes, or supports the opinions

given like respondents watching amidst switching channels.

With the above analysis, we can conclude that the Nat Geo Channel do enjoy a certain level of

popularity with audiences age under 25 (something that could not be determined in the previous

research) and that the audiences age under 25 do provide a market that Nat Geo Channel can

venture into with probably new scheduling or programming tactics which we further look into

using our data obtained.

Moving on, the afternoon day-part seems to be a favourite among our respondents. As our

respondents are mostly students, this information seems reliable as they are only able to watch

television after school which is in the afternoon or evening/night. Our older respondents also

stated that they only watch the channel during their free time evening after work. Other

responses, 30% of our total respondents, also include, when we have the time... and again,

amidst switching channels.

This leads us in inferring that our respondents do have an attraction to the Nat Geo Channel and

will actually choose to watch them. However, there is a slight problem to how Nat Geo

Channels programs are being scheduled or programmed as it failed to garner the attraction of

30% of our respondents.

Moving on to questions regarding National Geographic, we start off with their main perception

of the channel itself. With its general channel title, assumptions are made around these two

words National and Geography. This question is presented in an open-ended way, giving us a

as much variety of response we can achieve. Most of the responses received are mainly the

different genres available on the channel. With wildlife gaining the top spot among other genres,

it has again, shown the importance of programming on the channel. The common thing among

these responses is that our respondents mainly view National Geographic as an educational

channel.


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This gives us an understanding of how our respondents profile the Nat Geo Channel and further

tells us about the main reason why our respondents who are avid audiences of the channel will

choose to view the channel.

As shown in secondary research (refer to Appendix 2.1 About National Geography Channel),

the channel has a total of nine genres. We have narrowed the options down to five popular

genres National History, Science, Wildlife, Disaster and Travel / Society so that we are able to

evaluate the most favourable genre among our respondents without confusing them and to

minimized the chances of ambiguous as mentioned before. We have applied the rank ordering

style to this question.

Similar to its perception and the data analysis of Nat Geo Channels profile, our respondents

seem to love wildlife programmes the most. Travel comes in second while science takes last

place. Keeping in mind that that our respondents are mostly students and with only a 23% of

them considered as loyal audiences to the channel, we can infer that there may be an issue with

the scheduling of the timing of the programs as (mentioned in Research Problem and Aim) that

wildlife programs takes us most time in a day of Nat Geo Channels schedule. Adding on, genres

like Disasters did not appeal to that much percentage of an audience when the genre didtake up a

significant amount of schedule on Nat Geo Channel.

As we analyse deeper into individual responses, our minor group of older respondents who are

aged 19 years old and above, tend to prefer National History over other genres. Their main

reason is revealed to be their interest in that respective genre. For example, a 20 year old male

student prefers the science genre as he is studying in the engineering field.

From here, we can conclude that our respondents preferred genre is greatly affected by their

interest, and are willing to watch Nat Geo Channels programs if they are being shown in a

convenient time and the program genre is of their interest.

Unfortunately, 82% of our respondents claim that they do not watch the advertisements on

National Geographic. Only a minor 18% watch the advertisements and have stated the various

advertisements that theyve seen. These advertisements vary from products, travel packages and

programme teasers based on their impression. The advertisement viewership tells us a lot about

the amount of attention given to Nat Geo Channel.

Firstly, with most attention and interest given to the programs, and with information about

advertisement placement on the channel being successful (refer to Appendix 4.1 Advertisement

Viewership), our respondents should at least have an impression on few of the advertisements

being aired. With our respondents not having much impression about their advertisements allows

us to infer that our respondents either switch channel during commercial breaks, or move away

from the television set as advertisements start to air. Hence, we need to increase the attention

audiences gives to Nat Geo Channels advertisements and programs to increase the effectiveness

and reach of Nat Geo Channel to its audiences as audiences are very fickle minded and easily

distracted nowadays.


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Last but not least, we asked our respondents to rate National Geographic as a channel. 47% of

our respondents have rated the channel 4 out of 5 stars. Not only that, 94% has agreed to be

satisfied with the channel. This shows us the profiling of the channel in the respondents

viewpoint is of high standards. Yet, based on the above analysis, we do know that more can be

done in terms of scheduling of programs and program genres of Nat Geo Channel.

VII. Conclusion and Recommendations:

Firstly, National Geographics viewers are found to be demographically varied in many ways

such as age, gender and many more. As our research data is inclined towards respondents age

below 25, we are able to understand better the preferences of that demographic group which we

found neglected in the previous research done by Nat Geo Channel few years back. Thus, we

were able to understand the profile of Nat Geo in the respondents mind and determine the

attractions of Nat Geo these respondents. Combining secondary research done, Convenience

Sampling and determining the profile of our respondents at the same time, we are able to stay

close to our research aim and minimize as much error as we can in collecting our research data.

Also, careful scripting of our questionnaire helped us to reduce ambiguity and direct data results

obtains to come out with an analysis straight to the point and clear to understand.

Next, the findings help us to ascertain the genre of programmes that are popular with the

different profiles of its viewers. The main selling genre of Nat Geo Channel is Wildlife genre of

programs, alongside with Travel etc. It has shown the importance of content and other related

factors to the channel. For example, with a more organised schedule targeted at different

audiences at different day-parts, the channel may be able to get more loyal viewership. The

channel must also comply with the technology-driven world whereby people are more attachedto modern, new technology such as mobile phones, laptops and social media. Overall, they will

guide as feedback to different aspects of the channel such as promotion, scheduling and many

more. With these feedbacks, National Geographic is able to improve as a channel and definitely

garner more viewership with certain improvements made.

From the progress of the research, we can conclude that genres of the programs are an important

factor in gaining attention and number of audiences, but scheduling and advertising is important

points to note as well.

From the research data, we proved that our hypothesis of An increase of frequency inscheduling programs of genre like travel will increase the number of National Geography

Channel viewers, especially those under the age of 25 do not stand to a certain extent, but it can

definitely be a factor to boost a new target audience for Nat Geo Channel as our respondents did

choose the genre of Travel as the second most preferred genre. A deeper analyse led us to derive

and support a new hypothesis; that A change in scheduling of different genres of programs will

likely increase the number of National Geography Channel viewers, especially those under the

age of 25.

Taking note that most students will get to watch Nat Geo Channel in the afternoon and that

working adults will most likely get to watch the channel in the evening, the channel can considerscheduling and stacking wildlife programs in the afternoon, in order to get the attention and


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attract audiences under the category of students to actually tune in for a longer time period to the

channel. This can actually build on the channels loyal viewership and create a habit in the

audience garnering them loyalty and anticipation. The channel can also consider putting program

genres like Travel and History in the evening to attract and garner the support of adult viewers.

Other then the above recommendation about scheduling and programming, we will recommend

Nat Geo Channel to conduct a research to a larger sample of respondents in line or similar to our

research objectives and aims. In view of our limitations, lack of resources and time, our findings

are able to provide a consideration and probe into further research procedures, but not adequate

to be generalized to a greater population in Singapore. We encourage Nat Geo Channel to take a

step further in understanding their audiences with more in-depth questions pertaining audiences

viewing habits and ad-viewing habits. This is to further prove our research data and conclusion

(as our research sample is small) but also to prove our analysis of our respondents from the

research.

By doing so, we can ensure that Nat Geo Channel will be able to derive tactics from the research

findings and successfully combat the issues raised, garnering them more loyal viewers,

subscribers, more effective advertisements placement and thus raise in revenue, ratings to build

on the success National Geography Channel has already achieved.


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. Appendices:

Secondary Research

Appendix 2.1 About National Geography Channel:

National Geographic Channel is run by FOX International Channels and provides programmesthat open the horizons of viewers, enabling them to enter a world of knowledge and facts. Someof their programme genres include science, technology and natural history. The channelcurrently reaches 240 million households in 164 countries worldwide.

Programs by the National Geographic Society are also broadcast on television. NationalGeographic television specials as well as television series have been aired onPBS and othernetworks in the United States and globally for many years. The Geographic series in the U.S.started on CBS in 1964, moved to ABC in 1973 and shifted to PBS (produced by WQED,Pittsburgh) in 1975. National Geographic Channel, launched in January 2001, is a joint ventureof National Geographic Television & Film and Fox Cable Networks. It has featured stories onnumerous scientific figures such asLouis Leakey,Jacques Cousteau, orJane Goodall that notonly featured their work but helped make them world-famous and accessible to millions. Amajority of the specials were narrated by various actors, including Glenn Close, Stacy Keach,Richard Kiley,Susan Sarandon,Martin Sheen and Peter Strauss. The specials' theme music, byElmer Bernstein, was also adopted by the National Geographic Channel. The NationalGeographic Channel has begun to launch a number of subbranded channels in internationalmarkets, such as Nat Geo Wild, Nat Geo Adventure, Nat Geo Junior, and Nat Geo Music.

National Geographic Films, a wholly owned taxable subsidiary of the National GeographicSociety, has also produced a feature film based on the diary of a Russian submarine commanderstarringHarrison Ford inK -19: The Widowmaker, and most recently retooling a French-made

documentary for U.S. distribution with a new score and script narrated byMorgan FreemancalledMarch of the Penguins, which received an Academy Award for the Best Documentary in2006. After a record $77 million theatrical gross in the United States, over four million DVDcopies ofMarch of the Penguins have been sold. National Geographic Films launched a newfeature film in July called Arctic Tale, featuring the story of two families of walrus and polar

bears. Queen Latifah is the narrator of this film. Inspired by a National Geographic Magazinearticle, National Geographic opened in October 2007 a 3-D large format and Reality 3-D filmcalled Sea Monsters, with a musical score by Peter Gabriel. National Geographic Films is co-

producing with Edward Norton andBrad Pitt the 10-hour mini-series of Steven Ambrose'saward-winning Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson and the Opening ofthe American WestforHBO.

Appendix 2.2 Demographics of National Geography Channel:

Target Audience: Men and Women, 18-54.
http://television/http://specials/http://series/http://service/http://service/http://cbs/http://company/http://pittsburgh/http://networks/http://leakey/http://leakey/http://leakey/http://cousteau/http://goodall/http://close/http://keach/http://kiley/http://sarandon/http://sarandon/http://sheen/http://sheen/http://strauss/http://strauss/http://bernstein/http://bernstein/http://ford/http://ford/http://widowmaker/http://widowmaker/http://freeman/http://freeman/http://penguins/http://penguins/http://penguins/http://tale/http://latifah/http://norton/http://pitt/http://pitt/http://lewis/http://jefferson/http://hbo/http://hbo/http://television/http://specials/http://specials/http://series/http://series/http://service/http://cbs/http://company/http://pittsburgh/http://networks/http://networks/http://networks/http://leakey/http://leakey/http://cousteau/http://cousteau/http://goodall/http://goodall/http://close/http://close/http://keach/http://keach/http://kiley/http://kiley/http://sarandon/http://sarandon/http://sheen/http://sheen/http://strauss/http://strauss/http://bernstein/http://bernstein/http://ford/http://ford/http://widowmaker/http://widowmaker/http://widowmaker/http://widowmaker/http://freeman/http://freeman/http://penguins/http://penguins/http://penguins/http://penguins/http://tale/http://tale/http://latifah/http://latifah/http://norton/http://norton/http://pitt/http://pitt/http://lewis/http://lewis/http://jefferson/http://jefferson/http://hbo/


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Adults, 25-54: 54%. Median Individual Income: $41,000. Median Household Income: $52,000. Reach: About 1.6 million people every week. 56% are attracted to new ideas. 10% more likely to travel overseas in next year. Highly educated, most graduated from college.

Affluent lifestyle cars, latest automotive technology. Frequent plane trips for business/personal. Technologically-inclined expenditure on gadgets and software.

Appendix 2.3 - Programming:

Genres: Science/Technology, Travel, Wildlife, Engineering, Society, Disaster, Natural History,Mystery, Adventure.

Viewer Targeted Programming (Adults 25-54):Dog Whisperer, Explorer, Is It Real, NakedScience, NGC Presents, Thrill Zone, Taboo, Situation Critical, The Building.

Current Most Popular Programming: Test Your Brain, Dog Whisperer, Night Stalkers, TheIndestructibles.


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There has been an increased focus on local production and co-production in the channel. In aweek, almost half of the regional schedule is filled with Natural Mystery (42 hours) andScience/Engineering/Technology (33 hours) programmes. Other significant genres includeDisaster, People, Travel and Adventure, which take up 15-19 hours of the schedule each. Thevariety of programmes shown provides an acceptable and proper balance that enables everyviewer to enjoy their own favourable genre.

Appendix 4.1 - Advertisement Viewership:National Geographic Channel is known for their innovative advertisements and strategicadvertisement placement. Companies take advantage of the channels wide viewership as theyare able to reach their target audience. These advertisements are placed by spot-buys andsponsorships. Brand integration advertisements also play a role, as they seek to attract andmaintain viewers attention during commercial breaks. Major advertisers in the channel includehotels, automobiles and high-end luxury goods.

A study was conducted in 1994 on viewers attitudes, perceptions toward commercials, andviewing behaviour. Results showed that viewers do not usually watch the commercials and areoften distracted. Another study in 1997 found that advertisement placement is important, as those

in the beginning or end of a particular break have increased viewing. Also, viewers are morelikely to remember it at those spots. This is also apparent in advertisements that evoke emotionsfrom the viewers.

Participants in a sample were chosen to rate National Geographic Channel in terms ofprogramming and advertisements. 58% of the sample was 26 and 35 years old. They alsoreceived a relatively high annual income and were educated. Of them, 59.2% watch television aminimum of six hours in a week. The ratings showed that viewers thought the channel can betrusted. Its programming was also given a high ranking in terms of quality.

Appendix 4.2 - Use of Social Media:Website:http://natgeotv.com/asia.
http://http/http://http/http://http/http://http/


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National Geographic Channel created a website specifically for their viewers in Asia. Thewebsite is very organized, with all the content divided into different headers. Viewers are able toregister to be part of the community, in which they can receive newsletters or information ontheir latest programmes. The community website also gives users an opportunity to showcasetheir experiences from travelling, whether by the written word or by videos with other users.This encourages involvement and interaction between the Channel and its viewers.

Facebook:

The National Geographic Channel Asia Facebook page currently has more than 300,000 likes,which has been steadily increasing ever since the pages creation. On the main page, theChannels latest programmes are promoted, also with the integration of the other social media

platforms. The page also contains notes with factual information and photos which is just aportion of their engaging content in the pages tabs. The page encourages lots of interaction bytheir fans, using Facebooks comment and sharing function. The Channel also ran a photocontest that attracted a lot of attention, gaining 100,000 likes in one week.

Twitter:


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The National Geographic Asia Twitter page currently has over 5000 followers. The page hasfairly regular updates, mostly notifying users of updates in their other social media networks.While their Twitter page doesnt generate as much buzz, it is still a quick and easy way tointeract with their viewers by sharing small blurbs which can attract viewers to click on the links.

YouTube:

With more than 500,000 subscribers, it is no secret that the Channels YouTube page is popularamong its viewers. The page has a wide range of videos that are sorted by playlists, enablingeasy browsing and viewing. Users can interact by posting comments on the videos or sharing

them.

Conclusion: Through the many platforms in the social media, the Channel has established apresence. With its large variety of organized content and high level of interaction with itsviewers, it has been able to gain popularity. Co-promotion of all the platforms also helps ingetting viewers aware of their existence which also enables higher traffic. However, there arestill steps that can be taken to develop an all-round effective social media awareness.

Appendix 4.3 - Increase in Number of Singaporeans Travelling:


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Appendix 4.4 Survey Questions:

National Geographic ChannelSurvey

Hello there! Thank you for your consideration to take this survey in which we aim to evaluate your

feedback on National Geographic Channel. All answers will be kept confidential within research

purposes.

* Required

1) What is your gender? *

Male

Female

2) What is your age? *

Below 13 years old

14 - 19 years old

20 - 25 years old

26 - 30 years old

30 - 35 years old


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Above 35 years old

3) What is your current occupation? *

Student

Housewife

Self-Employed

Office Employee

Government Employee

Other:

4) What is your race? *

Chinese

Indian

Malay

Eurasian

Other:

5) What is your current marital status? *

Single

In A Relationship

Married

Divorced

Widowed

6) What is your monthly income? *

Below $1,000

$1,000 to $1,999

$2,000 to $2,999

$3,000 to $3,999

$4,000 to $4,999

Other:

7) Do you watch National Geographic? *


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Yes

No

8) How often do you watch National Geographic?

Daily

Weekly

Monthly

Rarely

Other:

9) How long do you spend watching National Geographic? *

Less than 30 minutes

30 - 60 minutes

1 - 2 hours

Other:

10) When do you usually watch National Geographic? *

Morning

Afternoon

Evening

Other:

11) Please state your perception of National Geographic. etc. Wildlife, Travel, Science

12) Here is an alphabetical list of several genres of programmes aired on National Geographic.

Please rank them in terms of your preferences. Put a 1 next to the profession that you prefer

most, a 2 next to the one with the second most, and so on.


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1 2 3 4 5

National History

Science /

Engineering

Wildlife

Disaster

Travel / Society

13) Please state the reason behind your most preferred genre. E.g Favourite shows.

14) Do you watch the advertisements shown during commercial breaks? *

Yes

No

15) If yes, please name some of the advertisements that you have seen.

16) Do you think the advertisements are effective in getting you interested in other programmes or

products? Please state your reason.


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17) Are you satisfied with National Geographic as a channel? *

Yes

No

18) Do you have any suggestions on how to improve National Geographic as a channel? E.g. In

terms of programming, content, advertising,

19) On a scale of 1 - 5, please rate National Geographic as a channel.

1 2 3 4 5

Wor

st

B

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