Disney Channel (Canadian TV channel)

Disney Channel is a Canadian English language discretionary specialty channel owned by Corus Entertainment under license from The Walt Disney Company, which began broadcasting on September 1, 2015. It is a localized version of the U.S. basic cable network of the same name, broadcasting live-action and animated programming aimed at children between the ages of 9 and 16.

For the Canadian French equivalent, see La Chaîne Disney.

Disney Channel
CountryCanada
Broadcast areaNationwide
HeadquartersToronto, Ontario
Programming
Language(s)English
Picture format
Timeshift service
  • Disney Channel East
  • Disney Channel West
Ownership
OwnerCorus Entertainment (Branding licensed from Disney Branded Television)
Sister channelsLa Chaîne Disney
Disney Junior
Disney XD
ABC Spark
History
LaunchedSeptember 1, 2015 (2015-09-01)
Links
Websitehttps://www.disneychannel.ca/

The channel launched as part of a new licensing agreement between Corus Entertainment and the Disney–ABC Television Group (now known as Walt Disney Television), which succeeded a previous program supply agreement between Disney and Family Channel (owned by WildBrain). Its launch marked the first time that a Disney Channel-branded television service has operated in Canada.

History

Background (1988–2015)
Further information: Family Channel (Canadian TV channel)

At the time of its launch in 1988, Family Channel, owned by DHX Media, held Canadian rights to Disney Channel's programming library.[1][2][3] As such, it operated licensed Canadian versions of Disney Channel's spinoff brands, Disney XD and Disney Junior as sister networks.[1]

Launch and development (2015–2017)

On April 16, 2015, Corus Entertainment announced that it had reached a "landmark" agreement with the Disney–ABC Television Group to acquire long-term, Canadian multi-platform rights to Disney Channel's programming library; the cost and duration of the licensing deal were not disclosed. Corus also announced that it would launch a Canadian version of Disney Channel on September 1, 2015; the service consists of a linear television channel, along with TV Everywhere apps (Watch Disney Channel Canada), and video-on-demand services for television platforms. This marks Corus' second Disney/ABC-licensed service behind ABC Spark – a localized version of ABC Family.[4][5] At launch, Corus stated that Disney Channel was available in 10 million households, with carriage across most major Canadian cable providers including Rogers, EastLink, and Access Communications, IPTV providers Bell MTS, Bell Fibe TV, Telus Optik TV, SaskTel, VMedia, and Execulink Telecom, and national satellite providers Bell Satellite TV and Shaw Direct.[6]

Corus stated that it would transition "select Disney branded kids linear television offerings" to new properties under its ownership in the future;[4] and brand new Corus-operated Disney Junior and Disney XD services launched on December 1, 2015.[7][8][9] In the meantime, Disney Channel aired blocks featuring selected Disney Junior and XD programs.[6] Until the Disney XD and Junior blocks were finished on this channel, and for the 2015–16 television season, DHX consequently re-branded its Disney XD and Junior networks as Family CHRGD (later WildBrainTV) and Family Jr. respectively, and began phasing out Disney programming from the two channels and Family; DHX Media's licensing agreement with Disney formally ended at the beginning of January 2016.[1][5][10]

Present day

Disney Channel originally operated as an "exempted" Category B service:[11] under new policies implemented in 2012, channels with less than 200,000 subscribers that would otherwise meet the definition of a Category B service are exempted from licensing by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission.[12] On September 1, 2017,[13] the channel became a regularly licensed discretionary service.[14]

In December 2022, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, and Disney XD were added to the streaming bundle StackTV, to accompany Teletoon (now Cartoon Network), Treehouse, and YTV.

Programming
Main article: List of programs broadcast by Disney Channel (Canada)

Disney Channel primarily airs animated, live-action series and movies from its U.S. counterpart. It also airs programming from sister channels Disney XD and Disney Junior, interstitial programs such as Movie Surfers, a look at the latest movies from The Walt Disney Company, and special previews of new shows. In order to fulfill Canadian content requirements, Disney Channel also airs programming from other Corus-owned networks.

Current
  • Disney Junior (branded as Mickey Mornings on-air) – a weekday morning programming block featuring programming from Disney Junior.[6] The block was originally discontinued after December 18, 2015, due to the launch of the new Corus-operated Disney Junior channel.[15] However, the 2-day special preview of the new Disney Junior show, Mickey and the Roadster Racers, premiered on January 21, 2017, at 9:00 a.m. EST across all English-language Disney channels in Canada as a simulcast and aired the preview on Disney Channel and Disney XD until January 22, 2017. The block returned in April 2018.

Former
  • Disney XD on Disney Channel – a late Friday night/early Saturday morning (formerly weekend afternoon, then Thursday night) programming block featuring programs from Disney XD that are targeted at children's ages 6 to 15. The block was put on hiatus after November 29, 2015, due to the launch of the new Corus-operated Disney XD channel.[8][16] The Disney XD on Disney Channel block also airs occasionally on weekends to show special episodes such as the Lab Rats: Elite Force premiere episode.[17] The block returned on November 3, 2016, after an 11-month hiatus and began airing on Thursday evenings from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. EST/PST. The block was put on hiatus again after May 25, 2017, but then returned on September 2, 2017, with Spider-Man, Milo Murphy's Law: Missing Milo, and Walk the Prank.
  • Famalama DingDong – a four-day block with former sister channels YTV and Teletoon (still owned by Corus). It showed the world premiere of Disney Channel's newest show Stuck in the Middle along with movies like Invisible Sister and new episodes of Girl Meets World on February 12, 2016. It was the last channel to air on February 15, 2016, after YTV and Teletoon. It returned as a YTV-exclusive since 2019.

References
  1. David Friend (April 16, 2015). "Corus gains Canadian rights to Disney Channel content". The Globe and Mail. Canadian Press. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
  2. "CRTC approves Bell-Astral merger". CBC News. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. June 27, 2013. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
  3. Bertrand Marrote (November 28, 2013). "DHX to acquire Family Channel, three others from Bell Media". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. Retrieved November 29, 2013.
  4. "Corus Entertainment and Disney/ABC Television Group Join Forces in Landmark Licensing Agreement" (Press release). Corus Entertainment. CNW Group. April 16, 2015. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
  5. "Corus Entertainment snaps up Disney content from DHX Media, plans to launch Disney channel in Canada". Financial Post. Postmedia Network. April 16, 2015. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
  6. "It's #HereForReal Canada! Corus Entertainment Launches Disney Channel in 10 Million Households" (Press release). Toronto: Corus Entertainment. September 1, 2015. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  7. "Corus Entertainment Brings the Magic of Disney Junior Alive on Tuesday, December 1". Corus Entertainment. Retrieved November 29, 2015.
  8. "The Force Arrives at Corus Entertainment's Disney XD on Tuesday, December 1". Corus Entertainment. Retrieved November 29, 2015.
  9. "Changes to Kids Channels". VMedia. August 21, 2015. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
  10. Dickson, Jeremy (August 21, 2015). "DHX TV reveals fall skeds for rebranded channels". Kid Screen. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
  11. "List of Exempt Category B and Exempt Third-Language Services". April 14, 2016. Archived from the original on April 14, 2016.
  12. "Broadcasting Order CRTC 2012-689: New exemption order respecting certain programming undertakings that would otherwise be eligible to be operated as Category B services, and amendments to the Exemption order respecting certain third-language television undertakings". CRTC. December 19, 2012. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
  13. (CRTC), Government of Canada, Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (May 15, 2017). "Corus Entertainment Inc. – Licence renewals for English-language television stations and services". www.crtc.gc.ca.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  14. "Corus ownership chart" (PDF). CRTC. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 6, 2012. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
  15. "Disney Junior". disneychannel.ca Buzz Blog. Corus Entertainment. November 1, 2015. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
  16. "Disney XD". disneychannel.ca Buzz Blog. Corus Entertainment. November 1, 2015. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
  17. "Lab Rats: Elite Force, a Spinoff of Popular Comedy Series Lab Rats and Might Med, Premieres Wednesday, March 2 on Corus Entertainment's Disney XD - Corus Entertainment". corusent.com. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved March 7, 2016.
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