Sky Deutschland discards Disney-owned NatGeo channels

German PayTV platform Sky Deutschland is dropping Disney-based documentary channels National Geographic (NatGeo) and NatGeo Wild from its platform in January 2023, according to reports in German publication DWDL.

Christian Asanger

The move has been interpreted as a desire by Sky Deutschland to thin out its existing channel line-up and focus more effort on its own channels, but it is also likely to be linked to Disney+’s ambitions in German-speaking markets. The streaming platform has been available via Sky Deutschland’s services for the last two years.

Christian Asanger, Sky Deutschland VP Entertainment, said the decision was not a reflection on the quality or performance of the channels, but “for our own channel brands… We want to focus even more on Sky Nature and Sky Documentaries, which we launched a year ago and which have been a great success story for us.”

Asanger told DWDL: “Through our own channel brands with many Sky originals, we invest in content that cannot be seen elsewhere.”

In a related development, Sky Deutschland is also dropping kids channel Junior.

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