Disney Channel (originally called The Disney Channel from 1996 to 1997) was an Australian

pay television Pay television, also known as subscription television, premium television or, when referring to an individual service, a premium channel, refers to subscription-based television services, usually provided by multichannel television providers, b ...

channel. It was the flagship television property owned and operated by

The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Disney Stud ...

in Australia. Launched in 1996, the network targeted towards children and their families, with original series and movies. The network's programming consisted of original animated and live action

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...

sourced from Disney Channel in the United States, including their original made-for-cable

movies A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

, as well as screenings of Disney's theatrical releases and other acquired programming. The network closed in New Zealand on 30 November 2019 on

Sky The sky is an unobstructed view upward from the surface of the Earth. It includes the atmosphere and outer space. It may also be considered a place between the ground and outer space, thus distinct from outer space. In the field of astronomy, ...

, and in Australia on 1 March 2020 on Foxtel. It was discontinued on 30 April 2020 on Fetch TV.

History

Disney Channel was first broadcast by

Optus Singtel Optus Pty Limited (commonly referred to as Optus) is an Australian telecommunications company headquartered in Macquarie Park, New South Wales, Australia. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Singaporean telecommunications company Singte ...

on 8 June 1996; the first program scheduled was the television premiere of '' Aladdin''. It became available though Austar on 1 April 2001, through Foxtel on 1 December 2001, and through TransTV on 21 January 2002. It was formerly available on SelecTV from September 2008 until the closure of its English service in late 2010. The network launched on New Zealand's pay television network,

SKY Network Television Sky Network Television Limited, more commonly known as Sky, is a New Zealand broadcasting company that provides pay television services via satellite, media streaming services and broadband internet services. It is also a wholesale channel prov ...

, on 24 December 2003. Disney launched the

Playhouse Disney Playhouse Disney was a brand of programming blocks and international cable and satellite television channels that were owned by the Disney Channels Worldwide unit (now Disney Branded Television) of The Walt Disney Company's Disney–ABC Televi ...

channel in Australia and New Zealand on 5 December 2005, which later rebranded as

Disney Junior Disney Junior is an American pay television network owned by the Walt Disney Television (part of Disney General Entertainment Content) unit of The Walt Disney Company through Disney Branded Television. Aimed mainly at children two to seven y ...

in 2011. An additional network named

Disney XD Disney XD is an American pay television channel owned by the Disney Branded Television and Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution units of The Walt Disney Company. The channel is aimed primarily at older children ages six to eleven yea ...

launched on 10 April 2014, featuring programming targeted towards boys aged 6–14. Disney XD ceased broadcasting on 6 January 2019, with a selection of programming moving to Disney Channel thereafter, including ''

Star Wars Resistance ''Star Wars Resistance'' is an American 3D animated comic science fiction television series produced by Lucasfilm Animation. It follows Kazuda Xiono, a New Republic pilot who is recruited by the Resistance to spy on the growing threat of the ...

'' and various Marvel animations. With Disney XD being integrated into the main channel, the service would now contain fewer advertisement breaks. In August 2016, Disney Channel Australia hosted its third local "FanFest" event, at

Martin Place Martin Place is a pedestrian mall in the Sydney central business district, New South Wales, Australia. Martin Place has been described as the "civic heart" of Sydney.

in Sydney. The network organised a concert featuring US singer Sabrina Carpenter, which was hosted by the Australian network's personalities, and live streamed on the website. General manager of the network, Leisa Sadler, noted the importance of brand activation through having a physical event for fans to connect with, and appreciated the opportunity to promote the channel's local programming. More than 2,000 people attended the event and over 3,000 watched online. Previous "FanFest" events featured personalities

Bridgit Mendler Bridgit Claire Mendler (born December 18, 1992) is an American singer and actress. In 2004, she began her career in the animated Indian film '' The Legend of Buddha'', later starring in the films ''Alice Upside Down'' (2007), ''The Clique'' (200 ...

and

Ross Lynch Ross Shor Lynch (born December 29, 1995) is an American actor, singer, and musician. He was the lead vocalist of the pop rock band R5 and is one half of the band the Driver Era (with his brother Rocky Lynch). As an actor, he rose to recogniti ...

. After indications that Disney Channel and Disney Junior would close in early 2020 due to the launch of

Disney+ Disney+ is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned and operated by the Media and Entertainment Distribution division of The Walt Disney Company. The service primarily distributes films and television se ...

and expiring contracts, Foxtel advised that negotiations with Disney were continuing to keep broadcasting the networks. However, Sky confirmed that both channels would close in New Zealand from 30 November 2019. Foxtel confirmed that the channels would be leaving their service at the end of February 2020, and on Fetch TV at the end of April 2020.

Programming

Disney Channel's programming schedule mainly consists of live action sitcoms and

animated series An animated series is a set of animated works with a common series title, usually related to one another. These episodes should typically share the same main characters, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series can have eith ...

for children, sourced from Disney Channel in the United States. Titles airing in the 2000s included '' Hannah Montana'', '' Kim Possible'', ''

Lizzie McGuire ''Lizzie McGuire'' is an American comedy television series created by Terri Minsky that premiered on Disney Channel on January 12, 2001. The series stars Hilary Duff as the titular character, who navigates the personal and social issues of her t ...

'', '' Lilo & Stitch: The Series'' and ''

Sabrina Sabrina may refer to: * Sabrina (given name), a feminine given name, including a list of persons and fictional characters with the name People * Sabrina (actress), stage name of Norma Ann Sykes (1936–2016), a British glamour model and actres ...

''. Programs broadcast by the network in the 2010s have included ''

Andi Mack ''Andi Mack'' is an American family comedy-drama television series created by Terri Minsky that premiered on Disney Channel on April 7, 2017. It ran for three seasons and 57 episodes, concluding on July 26, 2019. The series stars Peyton Elizabet ...

'', '' Austin & Ally'', '' Big Hero 6: The Series'', ''

Girl Meets World ''Girl Meets World'' is an American comedy television series created by Michael Jacobs and April Kelly that premiered on Disney Channel on June 27, 2014. The series ran for three seasons, consisting of 72 episodes, and concluded on January 20 ...

'', '' K.C. Undercover'' and ''

Raven's Home ''Raven's Home'' is an American family sitcom television series developed by Jed Elinoff and Scott Thomas that premiered on Disney Channel on July 21, 2017. The series stars Raven-Symoné, Issac Ryan Brown, Navia Robinson, Jason Maybaum, Sky K ...

''. Disney Channel's schedule also includes internationally produced series acquired by

Disney Channel Worldwide Disney Branded Television is a unit of Disney General Entertainment Content which oversees development and production of content geared towards children, teenagers and families for Disney+, Disney Channel, Disney Junior and Disney XD. The unit ...

, including '' Hotel Transylvania: The Series'', ''

Rolling with the Ronks! ''Rolling with the Ronks!'' (french: Bienvenue chez les Ronks !) is a French animated children's television series created by Olivier Jean-Marie and Charles Vaucelle. The series was animated by Xilam Animation with the participation of France Té ...

'' and ''

The ZhuZhus ''The ZhuZhus'' (formerly known as ''Polly and the ZhuZhu Pets'') is an animated children's television series developed by Hugh Duffy for Disney Channel and YTV. The series is based on the American toy franchise ''ZhuZhu Pets''. It is the second ...

''. In January 2017, Disney Channel acquired the license to air the local Australian series ''

Grace Beside Me ''Grace Beside Me'' is an Australian fantasy drama television series for children which premiered on NITV on 16 February 2018 and later aired on ABC Me. The series is based on the novel ''Grace Beside Me'', by Sue McPherson, and was filmed in ...

'', a co-production between

NITV National Indigenous Television (NITV) is an Australian free-to-air television channel that broadcasts programming produced and presented largely by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It includes the half-hourly nightly ''NITV News'' ...

and ABC, which premiered in March 2019. The network airs event broadcasts of Disney's theatrical releases, with

Pixar Pixar Animation Studios (commonly known as Pixar () and stylized as P I X A R) is an American computer animation studio known for its critically and commercially successful computer animated feature films. It is based in Emeryville, Californ ...

films including ''

A Bug's Life ''A Bug's Life'' is a 1998 American computer-animated comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. It was the second feature-length film produced by Pixar. Directed by John Lasseter and co-directed by Andrew Stant ...

'', '' Monsters, Inc.'', and

animated classics Animation is a method by which image, still figures are manipulated to appear as Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent cel, celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited ...

such as '' Aladdin'' and ''

The Emperor's New Groove ''The Emperor's New Groove'' is a 2000 American animated slapstick comedy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 40th animated film produced by the studio, it was directed by Mark Dindal and p ...

''. Also featured are Disney Channel's original made-for-cable

, including the ''

High School Musical ''High School Musical'' is a 2006 American musical television film directed by Kenny Ortega and written by Peter Barsocchini. The 63rd Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM) and first installment of the ''High School Musical'' film series, ...

'' and '' Descendants'' franchises. Disney Channel Australia has also commissioned and produced several of its own scripted drama series, including a local version of '' As the Bell Rings'', and original miniseries '' Mind Over Maddie''. In 2013, the network debuted a local short-form series titled '' Hanging With'', which takes the form of an afternoon variety show, featuring hosts who act as the faces of the channel and present programming news and other entertainment segments. In 2019, the network produced a short-form miniseries entitled ''Spread the Word'', which explores words from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages. Other local programming has included ''Backstage Pass'' and ''Radio Disney Insider''. Programs that moved to the network after the closure of Disney XD in 2019 included ''

Big City Greens ''Big City Greens'' is an American animated comedy adventure television series created by The Houghton Brothers that premiered on Disney Channel on June 18, 2018. The series features the voices of Chris Houghton, Marieve Herington, Bob Joles, a ...

'', ''

DuckTales ''DuckTales'' is an American animated television series produced by Disney Television Animation. The original cartoon series premiered on syndication and on Disney Channel on September 18, 1987 and ran for a total of 100 episodes over four sea ...

'', ''

Gravity Falls ''Gravity Falls'' is an American mystery comedy animated television series created by Alex Hirsch for Disney Channel and Disney XD. The series follows the adventures of Dipper Pines ( Jason Ritter) and his twin sister Mabel ( Kristen Schaal) ...

'', '' Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon'', ''

'' and various Marvel animations including '' Marvel's Avengers Assemble'' and '' Marvel's Spider-Man''.

Sister channels

Disney Junior

Disney Junior was a 24-hour Australian

cable Cable may refer to: Mechanical * Nautical cable, an assembly of three or more ropes woven against the weave of the ropes, rendering it virtually waterproof * Wire rope, a type of rope that consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a hel ...

and

satellite A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioi ...

channel available on local platforms. It launched on 5 December 2005 as Playhouse Disney and rebranded on 29 May 2011 as Disney Junior, with programming targeted towards children aged 2–7. It ceased transmission along with Disney Channel on 30 April 2020.

Disney XD

Disney XD was a 24-hour Australian

and

channel available on Foxtel. It launched on 10 April 2014. All of the programs targeted boys aged 6–14. The network closed broadcasting on 6 January 2019, after 5 years on the air.

References

External links

Disney Australia
{{Subscription television channels in Australia Australia English-language television stations in Australia English-language television stations in New Zealand Children's television channels in Australia Television channels and stations established in 1996 Television channels and stations disestablished in 2020 Defunct Australian television channels 1996 establishments in Australia 2020 disestablishments in Australia 2003 establishments in New Zealand 2019 disestablishments in New Zealand Television stations in Fiji Television stations in Tuvalu Television stations in Papua New Guinea