** SUMMER LINEUP ANNOUNCED! **

FIVE NEW GRIPPING NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHANNEL SERIES EXPLORE TOPICS FROM THE BATTLEGROUND IN AFGHANISTAN AND WOODED BUNKERS, TO THE AMERICAN MOB AND UNDERGROUND NETWORKS

June Through August Months Also Heat Up With Intense New Episodes of Returning Franchise Hits and Documentary Specials

(WASHINGTON, D.C. - MAY 30, 2013) This isn't beach TV ... It's better! National Geographic Channel (NGC) today announced its June to August slate, which includes the premiere of five new compelling series (Battleground Afghanistan, Eyewitness War, Inside: Secret America, Inside the American Mob and Doomsday Castle); the new season premiere of Taboo USA; more new episodes of Ultimate Survival Alaska and Life Below Zero; summer seasons of the hit series Diggers and Doomsday Preppers; and two Night of Exploration specials.

NEW SERIES

BATTLEGROUND AFGHANISTAN (Markus Vernon Davies) Premieres Monday, July 1, at 9 PM ET/PT Following the critically acclaimed series Inside Combat Rescue, NGC looks inside the latest chapter of the Afghan Conflict as seen by the American Marines in Afghanistan. Capt. Ben Middendorf and his men take the fight directly to the Taliban with a mission to locate, disrupt and destroy the enemy.

EYEWITNESS WAR (Karga Seven Pictures) Premieres Monday, July 1, at 10 PM and 10:30 PM ET/PT Follow the men and women of the Army, Navy, Drug Enforcement Administration, Coast Guard and other forces through the chaos of battle with real-life, first-person footage. It's their vision, their words, their war.

INSIDE: SECRET AMERICA (National Geographic Television) Series Premieres Wednesday, July 10, at 10 PM ET/PT Investigative journalists Mariana van Zeller and Darren Foster take you inside the nation's underground networks to the heart of America's most controversial issues, from guns to drugs to the paranormal.

INSIDE THE AMERICAN MOB (Left/Right) Series Premieres Sunday, July 28, at 10 PM ET/PT Take a look at the little-known but pivotal escapades, capers and cadavers that truly compose the history of the mob in America.

DOOMSDAY CASTLE (Sharp Entertainment) Series Premieres in August With his 10 kids, American prepper Brent builds a castle deep in the South Carolina woods that will serve as a bunker in case an electromagnetic burst results in a massive power outage.

RETURNING SERIES AND NEW EPISODES

ULTIMATE SURVIVAL ALASKA (Brian Catalina Productions) Continues Sundays at 9 PM ET/PT Eight men of a rare breed take the ultimate test of survival in Arctic conditions that only National Geographic could inspire. No tent, phone, watch or GPS. Three thousand miles across Alaska's wild.

LIFE BELOW ZERO (Adjacent Productions) Continues Sundays at 10 PM ET/PT Follow six people who live in the remote corners of Alaska as they battle for basic necessities and face whiteout snow storms, man-eating carnivores, frozen terrain and limited resources.

TABOO USA (Beyond Entertainment) Premieres Tuesday, June 4, at 10 PM ET/PT Examines topics including obsessions, body modifications, physical oddities and strange relationships in closed worlds rarely seen in the United States.

DIGGERS (Half Yard Productions) *Special summer season Premieres in August Vocational metal detector enthusiasts and amateur historians George "KG" Wyant and Tim "Ringy" Saylor scour the United States for lost pieces of history in this special summer season, from bullets at historic battlegrounds to family heirloom rings and silver coins.

DOOMSDAY PREPPERS (Sharp Entertainment) *Special summer season Premieres in August Beach season doesn't stop preppers. The original series that started a prepping phenomenon focuses on the lives of otherwise ordinary Americans who are preparing for the end of the world, with experts who analyze the thoroughness of their preparations.

SPECIALS

CROSSING THE ICE (Quail Television) Premieres Friday, June 14, at 8 PM ET/PT during Night of Exploration Two young Australians take a perilous journey across the frozen wasteland of Antarctica to the South Pole and back - completely unassisted, without sled dogs or wind kites.

TOUCHING THE DRAGON (NHU Africa by Foster Brothers Film Productions) Premieres Friday, July 19, at 8 PM ET/PT during Night of Exploration The remarkable bond formed between one man and a wild, 15-foot long crocodile that seems to defy the boundaries of the natural world and has never before been captured on camera.

Please note: Airdates and titles are subject to change.

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About National Geographic Channel

Based at the National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C., the National Geographic Channels US are a joint venture between National Geographic and Fox Networks. The Channels contribute to the National Geographic Society's commitment to exploration, conservation and education with smart, innovative programming and profits that directly support its mission. Launched in January 2001, National Geographic Channel (NGC) celebrated its fifth anniversary with the debut of NGC HD. In 2010, the wildlife and natural history cable channel Nat Geo WILD was launched, and in 2011, the Spanish-language network Nat Geo Mundo was unveiled. The Channels have carriage with all of the nation's major cable, telco and satellite television providers, with NGC currently available in 85 million U.S. homes. Globally, National Geographic Channel is available in more than 440 million homes in 171 countries and 38 languages. For more information, visit www.natgeotv.com.