Disney Channel (international)
This page details the international expansion of Disney Channel since launching on 18 April 1983. Its first local variants were launched on 1 September 1995 in the United Kingdom & Ireland and on 22 March 1997 in France.
Localization
The international on-air channel brand's look is consistent with the Disney brand. Individual channel managers can develop schedules and marketing programs to allow children's preferences in the market. Additionally, local programming that meets Disney's standards, combined with difficulties, is acquired. If a program is thriving in a market, its format may be developed for other Disney Channels' market viewing tastes. But Disney's channels in some markets were shut down due to Bob Chapek's controversial strategy of closing them down in favor of Disney+ between April 2020 and up until his ouster in December 2022, which was later reversed by Bob Iger after his return as Disney CEO, who confirmed that the linear TV channels will be able to coexist with Disney+ in synergy.Asia
Disney Channel Asia officially launched on January 15, 2000, as a single video feed with an English audio track being the default and Mandarin audio and subtitle tracks also available. The channel became available in Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and the Philippines. On June 1, 2002, the channel was launched in the South Korea market as a Korean-language feed. Over the first six months of 2005, Disney Channel Asia along with sister channel Playhouse Disney launched in Vietnam, Palau and Thailand and finishing off with a launch of both in Cambodia, its 11th market, with Cambodia Entertainment Production Co. Ltd. as distributor. Disney Channel Asia was also made available on select cable providers in Bangladesh after Disney Channel India was banned in the country back in 2013. It ceased transmissions by the end of 2021.Japan
In April 2009, the Walt Disney Company Ltd. Japan and Disney Channels Worldwide started Broadcast Satellite Disney Co., Ltd. to broadcast a women and family targeted channel,, with licensed received in October 2010 and debuted on March 17, 2012. In December 2013, Dlife launched a children's programming block called Disney Time. The channel was shut down on March 31, 2020, but was revived on March 1, 2024, as a replacement for the Japanese version of Fox.China
Disney Channel does not have a localized version for China. However, many of its live-action and animated series are syndicated on regional channels through ABC owned Dragon Club since 1994. It also has a Chinese website.India
Previously, Disney programming was available through programming blocks starting as early as 1994 with Doordarshan then moving to Zee TV until the early 2000s. Disney moved its block to Sony Entertainment Television for three years. Star TV picked up the Disney TV blocks on Star Plus, Disney Time and on Star Utsav.In December 2004, Walt Disney Television International India launched a Toon Disney channel with three language feeds at the same time as the Disney Channel with Star TV network distributing the channels. Disney reached an agreement with Doordarshan in November 2005 for DD to carry a half-hour block called Disney Jadoo. Thus Disney was up to 4 branded blocks in India.
Canada
On April 16, 2015, Corus Entertainment announced that it had reached a multi-year agreement with Disney-ABC Television Group to acquire Canadian rights to Disney Channel's programming library and launched Disney Channel in Canada on 1 September 2015—the first time that a Disney Channel-branded channel in operation in Canada.Prior to this agreement, rights to Disney Channel programming were held by Family Channel, owned by WildBrain which was licensed as a premium service but was carried as a basic service by many television providers. Family was launched and formerly owned by Astral Media which was acquired by Bell Media in 2013, with Family divested to WildBrain a year later. Family Channel was commonly considered to be a de facto Canadian version of Disney Channel as a result of the fact that majority of Disney Channel US programming aired on Family, coupled with both channels developing similarly in their respective countries, a sister channel to Disney Channel US which was formerly known as The Family Channel from 1988 to 1998; a Canadian version of ABC Family. Some Canadian-produced original series produced by Family have aired on Disney Channel in the United States and in other countries in the past. In addition to its distribution agreement with Disney Channel U.S., Family also operated an English-language version of Disney Junior as a multiplex channel, as CRTC rules allow pay-TV channels licensed as premium services to add multiplex channels consistent with the network's license. Disney XD and a French-language version of Disney Junior were also owned by DHX Media, operating under separate licenses.
DHX's program supply agreement with Disney ended on January 1, 2016; as a result of these re-alignments, its Disney-branded networks were re-launched as spin-offs of the Family brand beforehand on September 18, 2015 and October 9, 2015.
List of Disney Channels
Current channels
Relaunched via free-to-air replacing Das Vierte. Originally launched between October 16, 1999 to while the HD channel between December 24, 2011 to as well.Initially became an independent feed on August 1, 2010.
Defunct channels
- Initially went free-to-air on January 12, 2012
- Replacing Jetix; later went free-to-air on December 31, 2011, replacing Seven TV.