NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHANNEL AND GE CELEBRATE REVOLUTIONARY NEW SERIES "BREAKTHROUGH" WITH CROSS-PLATFORM ADVANCE SCREENING

First Episode of the Highly Anticipated Science Series Will Be Available on Leading VOD and TV Everywhere Platforms Before the Network Debut

Executive Produced by Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, Hollywood Visionaries Angela Bassett, Peter Berg, Paul Giamatti, Akiva Goldsman, Ron Howard and Brett Ratner Capture Scientific Discovery as It Unfolds

BREAKTHROUGH Premieres Sunday, Nov. 1, at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT on NGC

(WASHINGTON, DC - OCT. 29, 2015) Today, the National Geographic Channel (@NatGeoChannel) announced it would offer a free preview of the opening episode of BREAKTHROUGH, its highly anticipated science series developed by National Geographic Channel and GE, and executive produced by Brian Grazer (@BrianGrazer) and Ron Howard (@RealRonHoward).

Beginning Sunday, Nov. 1, at 12:00 a.m. ET, the debut episode of BREAKTHROUGH, Fighting Pandemics will be available to watch in its entirety before the network broadcast premiere at 9 p.m. ET that evening. The episode can be seen on NatGeoTV.com and GE Reports, as well as TV-VOD and TVE platforms including iOS handsets and tablets, Android handsets, Apple TV, Roku, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and Samsung Connected TVs. It will also be available on Facebook, YouTube, Hulu, iTunes, Amazon, Xbox, GooglePlay, Vudu and Sony Playstation.

Additionally, BREAKTHROUGH will be embedded into banner ads for viewing on popular websites including Motherboard, Reddit, Vice and Variety and featured in posts on sites such as The Daily Beast, Blastr, TV Show Patrol, Reality Blurred and others.

"It's no secret that the public's TV viewing habits have changed over the past few years. Through this advance screening of BREAKTHROUGH, we have the opportunity to connect with a broader audience and hopefully inspire more awareness and dialogue among viewers," said Brenda Freeman, chief marketing officer, National Geographic Channels.

Peter Berg ("Friday Night Lights," "Hancock") directs and narrates the premiere episode, Fighting Pandemics. Meet the doctors and scientists on the ground in Western Africa and in the labs stateside, working day and night to combat Ebola and other killer pathogens. From newly discovered vaccines to computer programs that predict how viruses will spread, their lifesaving tools will be used to fight a wide range of viruses in the near future.

BREAKTHROUGH is a revolutionary new series about scientific explorers from leading universities and institutions, and how their cutting-edge innovations and advancements will change our lives in the immediate future and beyond. Every scientific breakthrough is driven by a compelling human drama - the scientists grappling with the fear of failure and the anticipation of success, and at the same time, challenging and inspiring us all to look at the world and its possibilities. Through the lens of six visionaries - Angela Bassett, Peter Berg, Paul Giamatti, Akiva Goldsman, Ron Howard and Brett Ratner - we meet the gifted mavericks of modern science and technology who are uncovering scientific innovations in water, pandemics, cyborg technology, energy, longevity and brain science. BREAKTHROUGH premieres Sunday, Nov. 1, at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT on National Geographic Channel

Presented by National Geographic Channel and GE, brands long dedicated to innovation, science and exploration, the series will air on National Geographic Channels in 440 million homes in 171 countries and in 45 languages, as well as on the Spanish-language network Nat Geo Mundo. BREAKTHROUGH is produced by Imagine Entertainment and Asylum Entertainment. For Imagine Entertainment, executive producers are Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Michael Rosenberg. For Asylum Entertainment, executive producers are Steven Michaels, Jonathan Koch, Kurt Sayenga and Ryann Lauckner. Additional executive producers include Mark Dowley from DDCD & Partners, Beth Comstock and Linda Boff from GE and Michael Cascio and Allan Butler from National Geographic Channel. Tim Pastore is president, original programming and production, for NGC.

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About National Geographic Channels

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 nearly 90 million U.S. homes. Globally, National Geographic Channel is available in more than 440 million homes in 171 countries and 45 languages. For more information, visit natgeotv.com, find us on Facebook at facebook.com/NatGeoTVUS or follow @NatGeoChannel on Twitter and Instagram.

About GE

GE (NYSE: GE) imagines things others don't, builds things others can't and delivers outcomes that make the world work better. GE brings together the physical and digital worlds in ways no other company can. In its labs and factories and on the ground with customers, GE is inventing the next industrial era to move, power, build and cure the world. www.ge.com.

About Imagine

Imagine Entertainment was founded in 1986 by Ron Howard and Brian Grazer to create independently produced feature films, television programs and other original programming. Imagine Entertainment has been honored with more than 60 prestigious awards including 10 Academy Awards and 36 Emmy awards. Past productions include Academy Award Best Picture winner "A Beautiful Mind," "8 Mile," "Apollo 13," "American Gangster," "The Da Vinci Code," "Liar, Liar," "Backdraft" and "Parenthood," to name a few. Upcoming films include "Get on Up" and "In the Heart of the Sea." Television productions include NBC's "Parenthood," NBC's "Friday Night Lights," Fox's "24" and "24: Live Another Day," Fox's and Netflix's "Arrested Development," and Fox's "Gang Related," as well as HBO's "From the Earth to the Moon," for which Howard and Grazer won the Emmy for Outstanding Mini-Series. Current television productions include Fox's "Empire." Howard and Grazer began their collaboration in 1985 with the hit comedies "Night Shift" and "Splash," and continue to run Imagine Entertainment as chairmen.

About Asylum

Asylum Entertainment has produced a diverse slate of event miniseries, feature films, gritty documentaries and provocative unscripted series - thousands of hours of programming in its 12-year history. Notable productions include the miniseries "The Kennedys," which won four of the 10 Emmy awards for which it was nominated, and "Ring of Fire," which garnered four more Emmy nods. Last year, Asylum received glowing reviews for its feature documentary "Happy Valley," about the Penn State sex scandal, as well as for a coming-of-age feature film titled "Small Time." Asylum's event miniseries about Marilyn Monroe's turbulent relationship with her schizophrenic mother (starring Susan Sarandon, Emily Watson, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Kelli Garner) will air in May, and a film about the young devotees of Charles Manson is now in pre-production. Asylum's factual series include ESPN's Emmy-winning series "30 for 30," "Beverly Hills Pawn," "Addicted," "Being Mike Tyson" and "American Gangster." Asylum Entertainment is owned by Legendary Entertainment, a leading media company with film (Legendary Pictures), television and digital (Legendary Television and Digital Media), and comics (Legendary Comics) divisions dedicated to owning, producing and delivering content to mainstream audiences with a targeted focus on the powerful fandom demographic.