MUMBAI: Following the kick-off party at South by Southwest (SXSW) for the upcoming miniseries event The ?80s: The Decade That Made Us, US infotainment broadcaster the National Geographic Channel (NGC) has announced that Emmy-nominated actor Rob Lowe will narrate the six-part cultural programming event that offers an unprecedented look at the moments, trends, inventions, and culture that have shaped our world today.

In addition, the network also announced that the six-part series will roll out over three nights in the US, from 14 April, and globally on the National Geographic Channel this year in 171 countries and 38 languages.

The broadcaster adds that ?The ?80s: The Decade That Made Us? isn?t about nostalgia; it?s about the history of our modern world that spawned political, technological, cultural and social revolutions that began in the United States and went on to dominate the world. This cultural programming event is the defining biography of a generation. It?s about a decade of people, decisions and inventions that changed our future, told from the perspective of the unknowing history makers who lived these iconic moments.

We worked out, worked harder, played harder and consumed more - because the 1980s was the decade when we went forward to the future. The first launch of the Space Shuttle triggered a technological explosion in global communications that gave birth to our modern love affair with smartphones; Madonna rolled around on stage in a wedding dress, sending shock waves through a celebrity-hungry world that can?t get enough of Lady Gaga and Katy Perry today. These and other incredible stories reveal surprising, unexpected details and twists and turns from a decade you only thought you knew.

Lowe said, "National Geographic Channel is a leader in creating engaging and relevant programs that viewers can trust. This series is a unique and provocative look back at one of the most exciting and revolutionary periods in American history."

NGC executive VP programming Michael Cascio said, "Rob Lowe is one of today?s most enduring actors, and his films from the 1980s were among the most popular of the decade, with the ?Brat Pack? films setting a new standard for the teen movie genre. He is the perfect narrator for this series and his voice brings to life the triumphs, challenges, and effervescent spirit of this bright and important time."

MUMBAI: Infotainment broadcaster National Geographic Channel (NGC) has kicked off the year with a slew of local initiatives.

Speaking to Indiantelevision.com NGC VP marketing, communication Debarpita Banerjee notes that the broadcaster started the year with ?Indian Quiz League? which is currently on air.

"We have brought a fresh format of quizzing to the nation. On 4 March, we will bring an insider?s perspective on Mahakumbh, covering the scale and exclusive details on what goes behind the making of one of the world?s biggest festivals.

The host of the special documentary-?Inside the Mahakumbh?, Diego Bu?uel , is a seasoned Nat Geo host and former war journalist and it will be interesting for viewers to see him live the essential Indian experience," she says.

Also by the end of March, NGC will bring the next installment of Mission with ?Mission Covershot? that will pit eight amateur photographers against each other in picturesque Sri Lanka for a chance to be featured on the cover of a Nat Geo Magazine.

"While bringing the best of India has always been a focus for the channel, this year the aim is to up the ante. As far as the Mahakumb special is concerned, the view of the massive gathering at the Maha Kumbh in Allahabad which can even be seen from space will be screened in a special episode by NGC on 4 March at 10 pm," says Banerjee.

?Inside the Maha Kumbh? will show the approximately 100 million people intent on just one thing: bathing in a sacred river to wash away sins and gain a chance at a new beginning. Once every 12 years, Hindus from around the world converge at Sangam in Allahabad, at the convergence of the Ganges, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers.

This year, up to 100 million people are expected to attend the festival and investigative journalist Diego Bu?uel looks to uncover the heart and soul of this extraordinary event as it is happening.

"NGC has obtained extensive access to the event?s organisers. So Diego will not only explore the spiritual allure of this gathering, he will also reveal what it takes to create and maintain the behind-the-scenes infrastructure needed for the Maha Kumbh Mela," says Banerjee.

The culmination of Bunuel?s attendance at the World?s Biggest Festival: Kumbh Mela will be whether the Juna Akhada, one of the biggest groups of naga sadhus, accepts Diego as one of their own and include him their "royal procession" into the waters of the Ganges. Will the sadhus accept Diego?

"For an internationally acclaimed host like Diego to come down and cover the event goes out to prove how India is central to our strategy. With the launch of IQL and then Mission Covershot, this year the viewers can look forward to a lot of quality content from National Geographic Channel, both localised and international," says Banerjee.

Asked about how the idea of ?Indian Quiz League? came about, Banerjee points out that the audience shares its enthusiasm for knowledge and its take on all things curious. "Hence it was a natural step for us. Indian Quiz League is a unique game show based on the knowledge pillar of National Geographic, that will test the common knowledge of the contestants in comparison to that of the country. The format has been arrived at, after researching and evaluating what are the best quiz shows around the world and what already exists, and what can be done to add a touch of USP."

The show will test contestants in relation to how the nation fares in answering them in the first segment. Higher the number of people in India who get the answer right, lower the contestant?s score. In the second segment, called The master class, the contestant is made to answer questions designed by experts in a certain field. And the third segment is a power play round - with high speed and buzzer.

As far as ?Mission Covershot? is concerned, Banerjee points out that it is much more than a photography competition. "It takes forward our legacy of Mission series and combines it with our strength- photography. Nat Geo, which is reputed internationally for some of the most iconic photographs ever clicked, through Mission Covershot will give participants a chance to showcase their creativity before great judges including leading Indian director Nagesh Kukunoor and award winning American photographer Ami Vitale. It will showcase the best of creativity and the competitive spirit of these 8 contestants making it a great viewing experiences."

NEW DELHI: The National Geographic Channel (NGC) has emerged as the top infotainment channel largely because of digitisation in the three metros of Mumbaim Delhi and Kolkata, according to a senior NGC official.

FOX International Channels Vice-President of Marketing and Communication Debarpita Banerjee told indiantelevision.com that the channel was now in a comfortable position with regard to both subscriptions and advertisement revenue. She noted that NGC had achieved break even in India several years earlier.

She said that NGC telecasts 25 to 30 hours of Indian programming every week and that the Facebook page of National Geographic had over one million fans.

Banerjee was speaking on the sidelines of the announcement of a new show ?MyEndeavouralterrain?, a new adventure series launched in collaboration with Ford India.

The show will feature five prominent personalities - author Chetan Bhagat, boxer Vijendra Singh, filmmaker Nagesh Kukunoor, and actors Gul Panag and Rajeev Khandelwal - driving to their favourite destinations on Ford Endeavour cars and the experiences they encounter en route.

The five will embark on their journeys in mid-March, and the show was expected to be on air in mid-May in five episodes of one hour each, Banerjee said.

She said the aim of the programme was to create new content and explore new regions in India.

While Chetan Bhagat will be traveling from Ahmedabad to Junagarh to meet India?s own tribe which owes its origins to Africa, Vijendra Singh will travel to Rajasthan which he said he had never visited till the Indo-Pak border post. Gul Panag will drive from Goa to Hampi via Karwar as she had always wanted to go to Karnataka.

Nagesh Kukunoor, who will be going from Mannar to Coorg, said all his films were urban and he wanted to explore the rural countryside for his next road film which he had been planning for long. He also said he wanted to complete an unfinished road trip he had been making in 1995 but which he had abandoned mid-way on the same route.

Khandelwal said he would drive from Dibrugarh in Assam to Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh, and recounted an adventure he had undertaken with his brother and some army jawans some years earlier by coming down the Brahmaputra in tyre boats.

Ford India Marketing Sales Executive Director Vinay Piparsania said the idea was also to show how these celebrities would handle the large SUV cars.

MUMBAI: When a soldier is down and time is running out, an elite unit of Air Force rescue warriors will risk their own lives to rescue those injured and clinging to life. In Afghanistan and around the world, Pararescuemen or PJs; their leaders, Combat Rescue officers; and their PaveHawk helicopter teammates fly into the heat of battle, often facing imminent enemy threats, to save the critically wounded. They?re part warrior, part guardian angel, part medic and ALL hero.

Now, for the first time in history, the US Air Force is allowing cameras to follow these highly skilled airmen, with advanced medical training, to war. From the network that brought viewers the award-winning documentary Restrepo as well as Inside the Green Berets, the National Geographic Channel joins these guardian Angels on the front lines during a four-month deployment to Kandahar, Afghanistan. ?Inside Combat Rescue?, premiering in February 2013, takes viewers inside the harrowing world of the brave airmen who put their lives on the line so, as their motto says "that others may live."

From heroic acts of bravery in the field to training, pranks and comradery back at base, the series offers a 360-degree view of this band of brothers. For more information, visit www.natgeotv.com and follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/NGC_PR.

Ready to respond at a moment?s notice, PJs and their rescue teammates race against time to save Americans, coalition forces, Afghan allies and even local Afghan families caught in the crossfire within the "golden hour," the critical first hour that?s often the difference between life and death. NGC cameras witness every heart-pounding step of the mission: from the moment real-time intel of the wounded streams into the operations center, and the PJs "scramble" to launch within minutes of the call; as they take on enemy fire and land in areas with heavy insurgent activity; while they rush to stop an amputee from bleeding out during air transport and then download the surgical staff at the nearest hospital; to the debrief back at base.

With strategically placed cameras on airmen?s helmets and more than 40 cameras mounted both inside and outside of the Air Force?s HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters, NGC joins more than two dozen active missions, capturing each heart-pounding, unfiltered moment of war as never before.

See PJs performing advanced medical procedures in the cramped confines of a helicopter flying at full throttle. Watch as pilots, surrounded by gunshots and explosions, fly fast and low to evade Taliban gunners and possible rocket launchers. Feel the pain and raw emotion of an injured soldier holding on to life after stepping on an improvised explosive device (IED).

Back at base, brighter moments shed light on the personal side of these soldiers. Water-balloon pranks, Star Wars sheets that bring a reminder of home and a remote-controlled helicopter help these men decompress from the horrors they witness and prepare for the next mission. Heartfelt Skype sessions with family members and care packages from home remind them what they are fighting for.

One airman or PJ, Trevor, on his third deployment, writes in his journal, "I hope in the coming months, we?ll continue to get chances to make a difference. I hope that when someone is out there, on the ground, having the worst day of their life, we can make sure they get the chance to return home safely. That?s what it?s all about. That?s what we live for."

Created in the 1940s as a unit dedicated to rescuing downed airmen in combat, today the PJs? role has expanded to include saving both military and civilians in both combat situations and natural disasters. PJs have saved more than 12,000 people since September 11, 2001, including 4,000 during Hurricane Katrina?s aftermath; now, they continue to change the landscape of the war in Afghanistan, making sure the wounded come home alive.

?Inside Combat Rescue? presents a portrait of the heroic and selfless efforts of a group of men risking their lives to save those fighting for our freedom.