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Disney Branded Television

Disney Branded Television is an American television production company and a unit of Disney General Entertainment Content which oversees development, production and acquisition of content geared towards children, teenagers and families for Disney+, Disney Channel, Disney Junior and Disney XD.[2] The unit also oversees Disney-branded unscripted series, documentaries and specials for Disney+ and the Disney channels.

This article is about the Disney unit responsible for producing content for kids, teens and families. For the current Disney Imagineering live show unit that also formerly used the name, see Walt Disney Creative Entertainment.

Formerly

List
  • Walt Disney Entertainment, Inc. (1982–1983)
  • The Disney Channel, Inc. (1983–1997)
  • Disney Channel, Inc. (1997–2001)
  • ABC Cable Networks Group (2001–2005)
  • Disney Channels Worldwide (2005–2020)

Entertainment

Children and family

July 15, 1982 (1982-07-15)

Alan Wagner

37 (formerly)

Worldwide (except Cuba, Iran, Mongolia, North Korea and Syria)

Ayo Davis (president)

Television content

Prior to the formation of Disney Branded Television, Disney Channels Worldwide oversaw all Disney television networks until the organization of the Walt Disney Direct-to-Consumer & International segment on March 14, 2018, when the company was split into two. The U.S. unit operated Disney Channels, Radio Disney. The international unit operated various children and family-oriented TV channels around the world, including variations of the U.S. channels plus Disney International HD, Dlife, and Hungama TV.


Disney Channel was originally established in the United States in 1983 as a premium channel, and has since converted to a basic service; in addition, Disney Channel's programming has also expanded internationally with the launch of various country-specific and regional versions of the channel, as well as program licensing agreements reached with television networks not bearing the Disney Channel brand.


Previous corporate names were: Walt Disney Entertainment, Inc. (1982–1983), The Disney Channel, Inc. (1983–1997), Disney Channel, Inc. (1997–2001), ABC Cable Networks Group (2001–2005) and Disney Channels Worldwide (2005–2020).

History[edit]

Walt Disney Entertainment, Inc.[edit]

On November 10, 1981, Walt Disney Productions and Westinghouse Broadcasting announced that they had joined up to start a family-oriented cable television service.[3] In 1982, Disney hired Alan Wagner to develop a cable channel.[4]


20 months after the launch, the channel moved into the home satellite dish market thus scrambling its signal.


By July 15, 1982, Disney incorporated Walt Disney Entertainment, Inc., which was renamed by January 28, 1983, to The Disney Channel, Inc.[5]

The Disney Channel, Inc.[edit]

The Disney Channel was launched in April 1983 as a premium channel with 16 hours of programming.[4][6]


The channel became profitable in January 1985.


The channel started moving to the basic cable level on September 1, 1990, with TCI Montgomery Cablevision.[6] In March 1995, the second Disney Channel began broadcasting in Taiwan[7] while the third is launched in October for the United Kingdom.[6]

Disney Channel, Inc.[edit]

By September 29, 1997, the corporate name was shortened to Disney Channel, Inc.[5] Disney had hired Geraldine Laybourne away from the Nickelodeon channel in 1996. She founded a kids channel codename ABZ, which the media speculated to be aimed at preschoolers. Laybourne dismissed this report.[8] In December 1997, the Toon Disney channel was announced as a basic channel consisting of Disney animated programming.[6] As of April 1, 1998, most of the international versions are pay channels while the Taiwan and Malaysia versions are ad supported and the USA version is a basic channel.[9] The Toon Disney Channel was launched on April 18, 1998, on the Disney Channel's 15th anniversary.[10]


In 2000, the Playhouse Disney preschool channel was launched in the United Kingdom.[11] while in the US, in 1997, the Playhouse Disney block was launched on Disney Channel. In June 2001, Disney was looking into launch Playhouse Disney as a channel in the United States for 2002.[12]

ABC Cable Networks Group[edit]

Disney Channel, Inc. changed its name to ABC Cable Networks Group, Inc. by January 31, 2001.[5] In October 2003, ABC Family Worldwide was shifted from Disney COO Bob Iger's directly reporting unit to the ABC Cable Networks Group.[13] In early 2004, Disney Channel's original programming leaders took over ABC Family's original movies unit temporarily as two ABC Family executives left the channel.[14]


In January 2004, Fox Kids Europe, Fox Kids Latin America and ABC Cable Networks Group created the Jetix programming alliance that would rebrand Fox Kids as Jetix for all blocks, channels and companies.[15] ABC1 launched on the United Kingdom's digital terrestrial television platform on September 27, 2004.[16]

Initially went free-to-air on January 12, 2012[123]

^a

Replacing Jetix; later went free-to-air on December 31, 2011, replacing Seven TV.[124]

^b

List of Disney Junior TV channels

List of Disney XD TV channels

Disney General Entertainment Content

Official press website