ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA -- Fox Cable Networks, a wholly owned unit of Fox Entertainment Group (NYSE: FOX), today announced an affiliation agreement with Cox Communications, the nation's fourth largest operator serving 6.3 million cable customers, for distribution of the three-year-old National Geographic Channel. The agreement was announced by Lindsay Gardner, Executive Vice President, Affiliate Sales & Marketing for FCN and Laureen Ong, President of the National Geographic Channel.

"National Geographic Channel has now cleared every one of the nation's top cable and satellite television providers within its first three years," noted Gardner. "We're pleased to have Cox as a powerful ally to help propel National Geographic Channel into an entirely new level of popularity and future influence."

With the additional subscribers committed by Cox, National Geographic Channel will soon surpass 50 million contractual Nielsen homes based upon current Nielsen figures. In the three years since its January 2001 debut, National Geographic Channel has entered into distribution agreements with all of the nation's most significant cable and satellite television providers. Its rapid availability has helped to earn National Geographic Channel distinction as television's fastest-growing network in 2001 and 2002, and current Nielsen data confirms National Geographic Channel has already clinched the honor again for its third full year of service in 2003. In fact, National Geographic Channel ranks among the top new network launches in cable history, based on Nielsen data.

"We've crossed into some uncharted territory for so new a network, and this new opportunity with Cox Cable enables millions more potential viewers to come along with us," said National Geographic's Laureen Ong. "Our big challenge is to combine this reach with the deep production, programming and marketing resources now available to us and provide all our partners -- affiliates, advertisers and viewers alike - a new dimension of National Geographic quality and service."

Based at National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C., the National Geographic Channel is a joint venture between National Geographic Television & Film (NGT&F) and Fox Cable Networks. National Geographic Channel debuted to an initial 10 million homes in January 2001, and is one of only four new networks to ever surpass 20 million subscribing homes within its first year. For more information, please visit www.nationalgeographic.com/channel.

Fox Cable Networks, a wholly owned division of Fox Entertainment Group (NYSE: FOX), includes more than 20 major domestic cable and satellite networks in which Fox Entertainment Group or News Corporation (NYSE: NWS) hold interests. Together these networks reach more than 275 million subscribing TV households and represent one of the media industry's largest and most diversified groups of programming assets. FCN networks include FX, Fox Sports Net, National Geographic Channel, SPEED Channel, Fox Movie Channel, Fox Sports World, Fox Sports Digital Pacific, Central and Atlantic, Fox Sports en Español and Fuel.

-Fox Cable Networks-
 

Contacts: Kelsey Martinez (FCN) 310-779-2502 M
Russell Howard (NGC) 917.690.5528 M