Viking sponsors Nat Geo's 'Genius' as Hagen appears in new brand campaign

The new partnership with National Geographic builds on Viking’s commitment to supporting cultural programming, with current and past partnerships including PBS’s 'Masterpiece,' the Los Angeles Philharmonic at The Hollywood Bowl and the Munch Museum, among others.

Also, during the global premiere of 'Genius' on April 25 at 9 p.m. ET/PT, Viking will showcase a new brand campaign, 'Time,' featuring company founder and chairman Torstein Hagen.

A lifelong admirer of Einstein, Hagen, also a physicist, shares Einstein’s interest in the concept of time and often refers to time as 'the only scarce commodity.' The campaign debuts today and will roll out across additional marketing channels throughout the show’s 10-part global event series on National Geographic.

Hagen, who studied nuclear physics, said that as a scientist, he's always been fascinated with Einstein and his work as a theoretical physicist.

Brendan Ripp, evp sales and partnerships for National Geographic, called Viking’s commitment to expanding cultural horizons 'truly inspiring,' adding: 'We hope "Genius" is just the beginning of our joint efforts to bring consumers the type of content we both believe in.'

The series is based on Walter Isaacson’s book 'Einstein: His Life and Universe.' Executive producers are Brian Grazer and Ron Howard. The cast includes Geoffrey Rush as Einstein, Johnny Flynn as the scientist in the years before he rose to international acclaim and Emily Watson as his second wife and first cousin Elsa Einstein.

Throughout the series, audiences will see key locations in Einstein’s life, including Germany (Berlin, Munich, Würzburg, Heidelberg), Switzerland (Zurich, Basel) and Austria (Vienna, Salzburg), as well as his later years in the United States (New York City, Boston)—all destinations on Viking’s river and ocean cruise itineraries.