National Geographic’s Yellowstone Live Captures The Drama Of America’s Premier Natural Wonder During The Most Dynamic Time Of Year

The Unparalleled Four-Night Live Simulcast Begins Sunday, June 23, At 10/9c, On National Geographic And Nat Geo Wild, Kicking Off Weeklong Programming Event “America’s National Parks”

Washington, D.C. / New York, N.Y.June is one of the most dynamic times of year in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem. Life emerges from months of bitter-cold winter. Flowers are blooming, rivers are rushing and Yellowstone is bustling with new life. As Yellowstone National Park and its environs awaken, cougar cubs venture out from their underground dens, black bear cubs learn to hunt and bison must protect their young calves from hungry predators. There’s spontaneous drama unfolding everywhere at every moment.

YELLOWSTONE LIVE begins its four-night live event on Sunday, June 23, at 10/9c on both National Geographic and Nat Geo WILD, and premieres the following three nights at 9/8c. YELLOWSTONE LIVE returns for a second season with more animals, cameras and live locations showcasing wildlife from one of America’s most cherished national parks and its surrounding areas. Taking place across three states - Montana, Idaho and Wyoming - the four-night event, which garnered 13 million viewers in its debut last summer, covers the expanse of nearly 3,500 square miles of the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem - one of the largest nearly intact environs on Earth.

Returning to co-host the live broadcast is Josh Elliott (CBS News, “Good Morning America”), and animal expert, zoologist and naturalist Chris Packham (“Earth Live”), both reporting live from National Geographic’s wilderness home base at West Yellowstone’s Bar N Ranch. Jenna Wolfe (“First Things First,” “Today”) serves as the roving reporter throughout the live programming.

As roving reporter, Wolfe appears from the American Prairie Reserve (APR), a partner of one of National Geographic’s Last Wild Places initiative partners, which aims to protect the places that sustain life on Earth, with a goal of protecting 30 percent of the planet by 2030. APR is one of the world’s remaining wild intact prairie grasslands and is working to create the largest wildlife reserve in the lower 48 states. Wolfe is stationed on the ground to cover all the action as researchers and animal experts track and study bison, relocate prairie dogs into new habitats and release rescued birds of prey back into the wild. Elliott, Wolfe and Packham, supported by eight live crews, give viewers unprecedented access to prime locations throughout the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem—from the Gallatin Mountain Range, Lamar Valley, Grand Prismatic Spring to Old Faithful and many more iconic and hidden locations.

YELLOWSTONE LIVE brings back Emmy Award-winning cinematographer Bob Poole (“Earth Live”) and revered wildlife cinematographer Susan Gibson (“Planet Earth II”) to showcase the park’s spectacular landscapes and wildlife. Based north in the park, Poole plans to capture footage of herds of bison and elk with their newborns as they take their first steps and try to cross fast-flowing rivers while Gibson sets her sights on Grizzly 399 - the most famous wild grizzly bear in the world as she proudly parades her beautiful two cubs in Grand Teton National Park. Both Poole and Gibson guide viewers with real-time narration while the animals forage for food and try to evade deadly predators. Emmy Award-winning cinematographer Jeff Hogan (“Wild Yellowstone”) is also on tap; the renowned crew sets out to track elusive animals, such as cougars and their cubs and the area’s largest wolfpack, the Wapiti.

“YELLOWSTONE LIVE is all about our ongoing commitment to give viewers unprecedented access to the most stunning, natural treasures on Earth,” says Geoff Daniels, executive vice president of global unscripted entertainment at National Geographic. “This four-day live event is an epic journey into the heart of America’s most iconic national park at its absolute peak to explore the full majesty of this magnificent land and witness all the wonder of new life bursting forth in ways that will create an unforgettable experience for the entire family.”

Boasting 25 cameras strategically placed across multiple locations, YELLOWSTONE LIVE reveals the park’s wildlife in intimate detail by employing cutting-edge camera technology to give exclusive access to animals across the park, including many firsts and new features:

• Burrow Cam: At APR, an area not covered in last year’s broadcast, crews employ a unique “Burrow Cam” to show live footage of prairie dogs in their underground homes. Wolfe assists the team in moving and releasing a family group of as many as 20 prairie dogs into its new wild home.
• Bison Cam: At APR, the live production and National Geographic’s Labs teams fit cameras to America’s heaviest land mammal – the bison – offering a unique perspective of this exalted animal with the “Bison Cam.”
• Beaver Den: Infrared camera technology gives a personal look at a beaver family inside its lodge as parents keep their home safe while attending to their kits’ every need.
• Eagle Nest: Using fixed-rig cameras, the broadcast follows a bald eagle family as busy parents rush to feed hungry chicks preparing to leave the safety of their nests for the first time.
• Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center: Cameras return to the sanctuary to test the abilities of bears with new stunts and challenges.
• Yellowstone After Dark: The action doesn’t stop when YELLOWSTONE LIVE goes off air each of the live four nights. A specialist wildlife team heads into the darkness to film ‘Yellowstone After Dark,’ with a state-of-the-art SELEX system thermal camera. Developed for military use, it allows the crew, for the first time, to film Yellowstone at night in close-up detail when some of its most elusive creatures are at their most active.

YELLOWSTONE LIVE is produced by Plimsoll Productions and Berman Productions, Inc. for National Geographic. For Plimsoll Productions, James Smith, Martha Holmes, Grant Mansfield, and Andrew Jackson are executive producers. For Berman Productions, Inc., Al Berman is executive producer. For National Geographic, Kevin Tao Mohs serves as executive producer and Drew Jones is supervising producer.

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About National Geographic Partners LLC

National Geographic Partners LLC (NGP), a joint venture between the National Geographic Society and Disney, is committed to bringing the world premium science, adventure and exploration content across an unrivaled portfolio of media assets. NGP combines the global National Geographic television channels (National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo WILD, Nat Geo MUNDO, Nat Geo PEOPLE) with National Geographic’s media and consumer-oriented assets, including National Geographic magazines; National Geographic studios; related digital and social media platforms; books; maps; children’s media; and ancillary activities that include travel, global experiences and events, archival sales, licensing and e-commerce businesses. Furthering knowledge and understanding of our world has been the core purpose of National Geographic for 131 years, and now we are committed to going deeper, pushing boundaries, going further for our consumers … and reaching millions of people around the world in 172 countries and 43 languages every month as we do it. NGP returns 27 percent of our proceeds to the nonprofit National Geographic Society to fund work in the areas of science, exploration, conservation and education. For more information visit natgeotv.com or nationalgeographic.com, or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, YouTube, LinkedIn and Pinterest.

About Plimsoll Productions

Plimsoll Productions creates and produces non-scripted programming for the international television market from offices in Bristol, Los Angeles and Cardiff. The award-winning creative team has produced some of the biggest factual hits in recent years, winning Emmy Awards as well as top honors from BAFTA and RTS. Since launching five years ago, the company has produced over 50 series for domestic and international networks, including the recent groundbreaking event series Hostile Planet (National Geographic), Yellowstone Live (National Geographic), Earth Live (National Geographic), Rescue Dog to Super Dog (Animal Planet), Britain’s Parking Hell (Channel 5) as well as Camp Zambia (Love Nature, Smithsonian Networks). Last year, the company earned the fifth position in the Sunday Times’ annual Fast Track 100, and the British Chamber of Commerce awarded the company the High Growth Business of the Year award, making Plimsoll the first independent production company to ever be honored with the award. The Daily Telegraph also awarded Plimsoll CEO Grant Mansfield the 2018 Business Leader of the Year award.

About Berman Productions, Inc.

From the first season of Survivor to his most recent production, American Spring Live on PBS, Al Berman has produced more than 6000 hours of live network television and has received four Emmy awards. Berman has produced some of the highest-rated and groundbreaking shows in TV history and strives for innovation with every new project. He's considered one of the top producers of live and live-to-tape programming in the world. In addition to the first season of Yellowstone Live, Berman created and executive produced Earth Live, a live two-hour television event documenting wildlife around the globe with 59 cameras from 25 locations in 15 countries on six continents. On Fox's "Heaven Sent," he chronicled skydiver Luke Aikins' five-mile jump from the sky, without a parachute, and his safe landing in a specially designed net. It has more than 350-million views on social media. Berman's unique collaboration with NASA yielded "Live From Space," featuring six hours of live television from the International Space Station, 250 miles high in the atmosphere and Mission Control in Houston.