Disney Channel is a French television channel owned by

The Walt Disney Company France The Walt Disney Company France (), formerly Walt Disney Mickey Mouse, S.A. and Walt Disney Productions France, is one of The Walt Disney Company's international divisions and also European divisions. It is headquartered in Paris, Île-de-France. ...

. The channel was launched on 22 March 1997. It was free with ISPs from April 2011 to April 2020, and returned in some ISPs from January 2025 after leaving its historic distributor Canal+ from which the channel was exclusive in France and Africa. In 2013, Disney Channel had the largest audience share of thematic pay channels in France (0.8%), according to a study carried out by

Médiamétrie Médiamétrie (), established in 1985, is a public limited company specialising in audience measurement and research into audio-visual and digital media usage in France. It is especially well known for its Audimat brand whose name is now part of ...

History

The channel launched on 22 March 1997 at 6:00pm ( Paris Time), at its inception, was available as an option on

Canal Satellite Canal+ is a French subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and subscription TV provider. The TV provider was established as CanalSatellite in 1992 and later rebranding to CanalSat and the streaming service was launched as ...

. The channel used to be ad-free when it launched. On 2 November 2002, the portfolio of Disney-branded channels in France expanded from one to four channel with the launch of Toon Disney, Playhouse Disney, and Disney Channel +1. The movie channel

Disney Cinemagic Disney Cinemagic was a European block programming, programming block and television channel brand that was used from 2006 to 2019, owned by The Walt Disney Company (UK) (50%) Sky Group, Sky plc (50%) and operated by the Disney Channels Worldwide ...

(later Disney Cinéma) was launched in September 2007 replacing Toon Disney. After an announcement at the end of November 2006, four Disney channels were available in the Belgian television offer via ADSL Belgacom TV from 1 December 2006. On 23 October 2007, the

Conseil supérieur de l'audiovisuel The (, ), abbreviated CSA, was a French institution created in 1989 whose role was to regulate the various electronic media in France, such as radio and television. The creation of the (High Authority for Audiovisual Communication) was a measure ...

''()'' pinned the various of channels of Disney in France for their programming in 2006. The CSA alerts Playhouse Disney to the lack of investment in French and independent audiovisual production. For Disney Channel, the CSA warns the channel for its lack of investment in independent individual production and puts it on notice regarding its prime-time broadcasting quotas. On 13 July 2009,

Walt Disney Television The first and original incarnation of Walt Disney Television was an American production company and the original/former television production division of the Walt Disney Company, which was active from April 18, 1983 to 2003. Productions from ...

and

NRJ 12 NRJ 12 was a French private commercial general-interest television channel belonging to the NRJ Group, created on 31 March 2005 on DTT. The channel was available on DTT, cable, satellite and ADSL. In 2024, its authorization to broadcast on DTT ...

announced an agreement to broadcast Disney Channel exclusives on the NRJ12 channel from 24 August 2009. NRJ 12 will broadcast exclusively over-the-air series produced by Walt Disney Television and will be able to re-broadcast existing series after broadcast on Disney Channel such as ''

The Suite Life of Zack & Cody ''The Suite Life of Zack & Cody'' is an American teen sitcom created by Danny Kallis and Jim Geoghan. The series aired on Disney Channel from March 18, 2005, to September 1, 2008. The series was nominated twice for the Primetime Emmy Award for ...

'', ''

Wizards of Waverly Place ''Wizards of Waverly Place'' is an American fantasy teen sitcom created by Todd J. Greenwald that aired on Disney Channel for four seasons between October 2007 and January 2012. The series centers on Alex Russo (Selena Gomez), a teenage wi ...

'' and ''

Sonny with a Chance ''Sonny with a Chance'' is an American teen sitcom created by Steve Marmel that aired on Disney Channel for two seasons between February 2009 and January 2011. The series centers on Sonny Munroe, portrayed by Demi Lovato, a teenage comedian f ...

''. On 1 April 2011, the channel was launched on IPTV platforms as a basic channel, inspired by its Spanish counterpart. On 19 April 2011, Disney and Free ISP launched a VOD service on

Freebox The Freebox is an Asymmetric digital subscriber line, ADSL-VDSL-FTTH modem and a set-top box that the French Internet service provider named Free (ISP), Free (part of the Iliad group) provides to its DSL-FTTH subscribers. Its main use is as a hi ...

called ''Disneytek''. On 1 May 2011 the channel rebranded its graphical package. On 24 August 2011, Disney Channel and Disney Channel +1 switched to 16:9 format, taking the opportunity to put on a new logo. On 20 September 2011, Disney Channel started broadcasting in high-definition. In January 2012, it has been the most watched cable/satellite channel with 1.1% (including Disney Channel +1). It is the most watched youth channel. On 29 June 2015, the channel ceased to be offered to Belgians, replaced by a new Belgian version, which have a French and Dutch speaking version. The channel had a programming block, ''Les Grandes histoires de Disney Junior'' (lit. The Great Stories of Disney Junior), and from 2015 of the

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

Zone. The programs of these two channels were only diffused there in their block. The programming blocks disappeared in June 2016. Disney Channel celebrated its 20th anniversary in France from January to March 2017, notably with the film, '' Mère et Fille: California Dream'', which is the first and only French

Disney Channel Original Movie Since its launch on April 18, 1983, American cable and satellite pay television channel Disney Channel airs and/or releases/distributes original first-run television films under the banner names of Disney Channel Premiere Films until October 1 ...

. In parallel with the French launch of

Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

scheduled for 24 March 2020, but postponed to 7 April, Disney XD, Disney Cinema and three services (''Disney Channel Pop Pick'', ''Disney English'' and ''Hola Disney'') were shut down, and Disney Channel returned to being a

Canal+ Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flo ...

exclusive, being removed of

Bouygues Telecom Bouygues Telecom S.A. () is a French mobile phone, Internet service provider and IPTV company, part of the Bouygues group. It is the third oldest mobile network operator in France, after Orange and SFR, and before Free Mobile, and provides 2 ...

on 30 March,

Free Free may refer to: Concept * Freedom, the ability to act or change without constraint or restriction * Emancipate, attaining civil and political rights or equality * Free (''gratis''), free of charge * Gratis versus libre, the difference betw ...

on 2 April,

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower ** Orange juice *Orange (colour), the color of an orange fruit, occurs between red and yellow in the vi ...

on 9 April and finally

SFR SFR S.A. (or Altice France S.A. for the group) (; ) is a French telecommunications company. It is both the second-oldest mobile network operator and the second largest telecommunications company in France, after Orange. The group, Altice Fr ...

on 30 June. On 5 November 2024, it was announced that the channel, along with Disney Jr.,

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly ''The National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as ''Nat Geo'') is an American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. The magazine was founded in 1888 as a scholarly journal, nine ...

and National Geographic Wild, and Disney+ would no longer be available on Canal+ starting 1 January 2025 after failing to renew its exclusive distribution deal. Media outlets called about the closure of the channels, but Disney had not communicated about their fate, and programming had already been scheduled after 1 January 2025, denying its immediate closure. On 20 December 2024, it was announced that the channel would return to the ISP basic offers of

along with National Geographic by 2 January after inking its distribution, and

on 1 January 2025. However, Disney Jr. and National Geographic Wild would cease broadcasts in France, remaining available in

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

And

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

Logos

file:2002 Disney Channel logo.svg, 21 June 2003 – 23 August 2011 file:2010 Disney Channel logo.svg, 24 August 2011 – 29 June 2014 file:2014 Disney Channel logo.svg, 30 June 2014 – 31 March 2017 file:2017 Disney Channel logo.svg, 1 April 2017 – 28 August 2022 file: 2022 Disney Channel logo.svg, 29 August 2022–present

Programming

The channel broadcasts all Disney movies and series, and rebroadcast them several times a year from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. The channel's programming often varied between Disney live-action film and series and Disney animated movies and series, but generally, the programming of Disney films and live-action series and Disney films and animated series was more accentuated on Tuesday evenings, Wednesdays and Weekends.

Programming blocks

Current programming blocks

* ''Les Nouvelles Héroïnes'' (The New Heroines) (since 2017) * ''Toon Story'' (since 2017) * ''We Love Family'' (since 2019) * ''Trop School'' (Too School or Too Much School) (since 2020) * ''Disney Channel Party'' (since 2020) * ''Tous avec Miraculous'' (All with Miraculous) (since 2020)

Former programming blocks

References

External links

Official website
{{French television stations

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Children's television networks Television stations in France Television stations in Switzerland French-language television stations French-language television in Switzerland Television channels and stations established in 1997 1997 establishments in France