Disney Channel (European, Middle Eastern and African TV channel)

Last updated

Disney Channel EMEA
CountryUnited Kingdom
Broadcast area
  • Africa
  • Balkans
  • Baltics
  • Cyprus
  • Middle East
Headquarters3 Queen Caroline Street, Hammersmith, London W6 9PE
Programming
Language(s)
  • English
  • Arabic (dubbing/subtitles)
  • Greek (dubbing/subtitles)
  • Albanian (subtitles)
  • Serbian (subtitles)
  • Croatian (subtitles)
  • Slovene (subtitles)
  • Macedonian (subtitles; few programmes)
Picture format
    • HDTV 1080i
    • SDTV 576i
Ownership
Owner
Sister channels
List
History
Launched
    • 2 April 1997;27 years ago (1997-04-02) (MENA feed)
    • 25 September 2006;18 years ago (2006-09-25) (Africa)
    • 8 November 2009;14 years ago (2009-11-08) (Greece and Cyprus)
    • 2009-2012 (distribution in the Balkans)
    • 28 February 2023;20 months ago (2023-02-28) (distribution in the Baltics)
    • 5 June 2023;17 months ago (2023-06-05) (distribution in the Nordics)
Closed1 April 2024;7 months ago (2024-04-01) (distribution in the Nordics)
Links
Website

Disney Channel is a children's pay television channel owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company Limited, the international business division of the Walt Disney Company serving television markets across the Middle East (except Iran, Israel, Syria, and Turkey), North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, Greece, Cyprus, the Baltics, and most of the Balkans [1] (excluding Albania, Bulgaria, Romania and Moldova).

Contents

Originally launched on 2 April 1997 as a channel in the Middle East and North Africa; exclusively for Orbit TV (now OSN) subscribers, [2] [3] it began expanding to markets in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2006 [4] and the Balkans.

The channel previously used to cover Poland [5] and Turkey, [6] with respective audio tracks for the two markets, until 2010 [7] and 2012 [8] respectively when two fully-localized feeds were launched for the two countries. In Albania, the EMEA feed was previously available from 2012 to 2018, with Albanian subtitles available for programs. [9]

Majority of programming from Disney Channel are also available on Disney+ throughout the regions and South Africa.

History

Disney Channel, then known as The Disney Channel began broadcasting on 2 April 1997 on satellite provider Orbit (now OSN) in the Middle East and North Africa region. [2] [3] [10] At first, the channel was only available in English, but on 1 April 1998, a separate Arabic sub-feed was added. Animated films and series were dubbed in Arabic, [11] while live-action films and series were subtitled. Disney Channel Middle East was then picked up by satellite provider Showtime in fall 2001. The channel featured the logos (resembling Mickey Mouse head) in two versions (the one with the channel's name written in English and the other in Arabic for each feed), until June 2003 when it adopted the 2002 US Disney Channel logo.

Somewhere at that time, both the Arabic and English feeds of the channel were merged. In consequence, on 3 January 2005 Disney Channel Middle East started to simulcast Disney Channel Scandinavia, including its schedule and the prints of the series and movies for this feed (which were modified to also include Arabic dubbing credits). Then somewhere between November and December 2005, Disney Channel Scandinavia and Middle East started to add dubbing credits to its programming through subtitles.

Disney Channel Scandinavia and Middle East started gradually becoming individual feeds in 2006, starting with a different rotation of films (that gradually got more different), though this did not stop Arab satellite provider Orbit from adding a Swedish audio track to the Middle Eastern feed on 16 April 2007 (which was subsequently removed years later).

The Middle Eastern feed became a pan-regional network, as the channel was launched in Sub-Saharan Africa on 25 September 2006, [12] [4] [13] Poland on 2 December 2006, [5] [4] Turkey on 29 April 2007; [6] [14] and Greece along with Cyprus on 8 November 2009.

In September 2009, when the feed separation from Disney Channel Scandinavia was complete, the Middle East feed (now broadcasting in most of the EMEA region) started to share promotions and events with the CEE feed.

On 1 August 2010, the EMEA feed in Poland was separated and replaced with a fully localized Polish feed.

On 12 January 2012, Disney Channel EMEA in Turkey was replaced by an independent Turkish feed, [8] and became a free-to-air network. [15]

Between 2009 and 2012, Disney Channel EMEA began broadcasting in the former Yugoslavia (Serbia, Croatia, [16] Montenegro, North Macedonia, [17] Bosnia, Slovenia) and Albania. [9]

The channel adopted a new logo and underwent a rebrand on 21 July 2014. [18] In 2015, Disney Channel EMEA switched its aspect ratio from 4:3 to 16:9.

In 2017, a high-definition feed of the channel was launched. It includes Arabic subtitles for live-action films and TV series. Also in that year, Disney Channel EMEA rebranded using the 2017 European branding package. And in August 2018, the Albanian transmission ceased. [19]

On 24 June 2022, Disney Channel EMEA, Israel, Spain and Portugal rebranded with a new graphics, [20] with the customized wordmark logo; designed by Flopicco from Rome, Italy. [21]

Availability

Middle East and North Africa

The Middle East sub-feed is the oldest sub-feed, and began broadcasting in the Middle East and North Africa on 2 April 1997. [2] [3] [10] The feed is currently available in both English and Arabic. The vast majority of all animated series can be watched with Arabic dubbing, but live-action programs are almost always aired in English only with Arabic subtitles instead. It also has its own website, which is offered with English and Arabic versions. On 31 December 2023, Disney Channel was removed off the OSN cable provider because OSN did not renew its contract with Disney to offer its channels in its catalog, and was replaced by Cartoon Network later that night. [22]

Sub-Saharan Africa

Launched on 25 September 2006 on Multichoice's DStv, [12] it later went 24 hours since 2007. [13] Broadcasting in most of Sub-Saharan Africa. This feed airs programs in English only, without foreign-language subtitles.

Greece & Cyprus

Launched in Greece and Cyprus on 8 November 2009 on NOVA. The feed is currently available in both English and Greek. Most programs, whether animated or live-action, are generally dubbed into Greek on this sub-feed, although some programs are aired with Greek subtitles instead. It also has a Greek-language website.

Other countries

Expanded between 2009 and 2012 with multiple distributors through Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia (including the disputed Kosovo) and Slovenia. All programs are exclusively aired with English audio, with Serbian, Croatian and Slovene subtitles. On February 28, 2023, the feed launched in the Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania), replacing the Scandinavian feed (which was distributed on television provider Allente). The Scandinavian feed was itself replaced in the Nordics by the EMEA feed on 5 June 2023. The Scandinavian feed would relaunch on 2 April 2024 replacing the EMEA feed.

Sister channels

Disney Jr.

Disney Jr. is a pan-regional and sister channel; focused on toddlers and preschoolers, aged 2–6 years old. It launched on September 1, 2010, in MENA, Sub-Saharan Africa, Greece & Cyprus as Playhouse Disney. On June 1, 2011, Disney Junior was launched, replacing Playhouse Disney. [23]

On 31 May 2016, Disney Junior was launched in a full Arabic language counterpart; exclusively on OSN. [24]

Disney XD (closed)

Disney XD was a pan-regional and sister channel; focused on older kids and teenagers (mostly boys). It was launched in the MENA, Greece, Serbia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Croatia, North Macedonia and Slovenia [25] in 2009; [26] and in Sub-Saharan Africa in May 2011. [27]

In South Africa in June 2014, Multichoice fined R5000 (around $300) after failing to provide a warning before airing an advertisement for the fantasy drama series WolfBlood, containing horror scenes on the morning of 31 December 2013. [28]

In 2018, an Arabic language counterpart launched. [29]

The channel was later closed in Sub-Saharan Africa on 1 October 2020; [30] the MENA region and in the Balkans, on 31 December 2020; [31] [32] and Greece on 31 January 2021. [33]

Programming

Current programming

Source: [34] [35]

Note: Some programs are available on Disney+.

Former programming

Disney Channel Original Movie premieres

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

Related Research Articles

Jetix was a children's entertainment brand owned by The Walt Disney Company. The brand was for a slate of action/adventure-related programming blocks and television channels. Jetix programming mainly originated from the Saban Entertainment library, airing live-action and animated series with some original programming. The channel's target audience was older children and adolescents aged 8–15.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Star Movies</span> Television channel

Star Movies is an Asian-based pay television channel owned by Disney Entertainment. Star Movies was originally launched in 1994 as a single channel broadcast across Asia, but it has regionalized into different localized channels since then. Fox Networks Group Asia Pacific have since rebranded some of the network's international feeds in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia as Fox Movies, but retains the Star Movies brand in the Middle East & South Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orbit Communications Company</span> Privately owned Pay TV network

Orbit Communications Company was a privately owned Pay TV network, operating in Bahrain. Owned by Saudi Arabia–based Mawarid Holding, it was the first fully digital, multi-channel, multi-lingual, pay television service in the Middle East and North Africa and was also the world's first fully end to end digital TV network. Launched in 1994, it was originally situated in Tor Sapienza, Rome, Italy as the location was considered entirely suitable to build a satellite farm. Orbit employed around 600 employees who were largely a combination of British and Italian staff with several Arabic speaking nations also represented. Orbit broadcast in several languages around the world including English, Arabic, French and Filipino.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disney Channel (Scandinavian TV channel)</span> Childrens television channel in Scandinavia

Disney Channel is a Scandinavian children's television channel owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company Limited. On 5 June 2023, it was shut down and merged into Disney Channel EMEA, but was relaunched on 1 April 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disney Channel (Southeast Asian TV channel)</span> Defunct kids television channel

Disney Channel is a defunct pan-Asian pay television kids channel owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company Southeast Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nat Geo Wild</span> Global television channel

National Geographic Wild is a global pay television network owned by National Geographic Partners, a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company (73%) and the National Geographic Society (27%). The channel primarily focuses on wildlife and natural history non-fiction programming. It is a sister network to National Geographic TV.

Jetix Europe N.V. was a European television broadcasting company that owned children's television channels and programming blocks across the Europe and Middle East, such as Jetix and Jetix Play.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nickelodeon (Middle East and North Africa)</span> Pan-Arab television channel

Nickelodeon is an pan-Arab pay television channel for kids that is exclusively available on OSN. It is the official Arabic-localised variant of Nickelodeon and until 2011, it was the last remaining channel to retain the 'splat' logo that was used from 1984 to 2009 in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disney Channel (Polish TV channel)</span> Polish TV channel

Disney Channel is a British-managed Polish television kids' channel, owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company and a localized version of the U.S. channel of the same name.

National Geographic is a pan-Asian subscription television channel owned by Disney Networks Group Asia Pacific. The channel featured non-fiction, factual programming involving nature, science, culture and history, produced by the National Geographic Society, just like History and Discovery Channel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">OSN</span> Emirati direct-broadcast satellite provider

Orbit Showtime Network, commonly known as OSN, is a Dubai-based satellite TV company, serving the Middle East and North Africa region. OSN mainly broadcasts programming from TV networks owned by Paramount Global, Warner Bros. Discovery, NBCUniversal, Sony Pictures, DreamWorks and the BBC, as well as regional, mostly Arabic, Turkish, and Pinoy content.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Investigation Discovery (European TV channel)</span> European pay television channel

Investigation Discovery is a pay television channel available in several European nations. It competes in the same genre as Crime & Investigation Network which is also available in several European nations. The ID channel features crime programming, including "missing persons and murder inquiries, cold cases and historical crime," as well as documentaries on forensic investigations. One such program is Deadly Women, an investigative series in which former FBI agent and profiler Candice DeLong looks at female killers throughout history.

Disney Cinemagic was a European television brand that consisted of a group of television channels owned by The Walt Disney Company Limited (UK) (50%) Sky plc (50%) plus two programming blocks by Disney Channels Worldwide. It used to be broadcast on most countries in Western Europe; currently, formerly-branded Disney Cinemagic channels in France and the United Kingdom and Ireland are run by third parties which primarily airs films by the Walt Disney Studios.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cartoon Network (Middle Eastern and African TV channel)</span> Childrens TV channel

Cartoon Network is one of two digital children's television channels that air animated series: Cartoon Network MENA, which serves the Middle East and North Africa division along with Greece and Cyprus; and Cartoon Network Africa, which exclusively serves Sub-Saharan Africa. Both feeds are owned by Warner Bros. Discovery under its International division.

This article is about the children's television channel feeds of Cartoonito, a programming block and television network brand owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, targeted at/for preschoolers, broadcast in the Middle East and North Africa, Greece, Cyprus and Sub-Saharan Africa and operated by its EMEA arm.

Disney Jr., officially Disney Jr. Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) is a British-managed preschool pay television channel targeting younger viewers aged 2–7, owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company Limited, the international division of The Walt Disney Company serving Central and Eastern Europe, Western Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Launched on 1 June 2011 as a replacement for Playhouse Disney outside Africa and headquartered at Hammersmith, West London, it broadcasts in 11 languages.

DreamWorks Channel, commonly known as DreamWorks, is a pay television network owned and operated by the NBCUniversal International Networks division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. First launched in Southeast Asia on 1 August 2015, it expanded to the rest of Asia as well as Europe, Africa and Oceania. Its programming is mainly sourced from DreamWorks Animation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TNT Africa</span> Television channel

TNT is a pay television channel focused on movies. The network is broadcast in Africa under the TNT name, as well as in the Arab world as TCM MENA; the latter features its own schedule and optional Arabic subtitles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Star Channels</span> Group of Middle Eastern premium television networks

Star Channels is a multiplex suite of premium Middle Eastern and North African subscription television channels owned by The Walt Disney Company EMEA. Its programming consisted mostly of non-dubbed movies and series with Arabic subtitles.

References

  1. ↑ "Disney Channel • Kanal • TVProfil". TVProfil. Archived from the original on 7 December 2022. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 Disney Channel - Arabic VHS Trailer, 4 August 2012, archived from the original on 1 May 2022, retrieved 1 May 2022
  3. 1 2 3 "A Salute to Disney Channel: International: Vive le Mickey". Archived from the original on 10 March 2022. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 "Disney Factbook 2008" (PDF). p. 32. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  5. 1 2 "Disney Channel przyciąga widzów". Media2.pl (in Polish). Archived from the original on 31 July 2021. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  6. 1 2 Kemp, Stuart (4 April 2007). "Disney Channel preps Turkey launch". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on 8 June 2022. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  7. ↑ Disney Channel - Scandinavia/MENA/Poland - Promos + Idents (2008), 21 August 2021, archived from the original on 11 January 2022, retrieved 1 May 2022
  8. 1 2 "Walt Disney şifresiz yayına başlayacak - CNN TÜRK". 24 October 2011. Archived from the original on 3 July 2015. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  9. 1 2 "Disney Channel në Digitalb". Telekomanda. 17 May 2012. Archived from the original on 15 September 2016. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  10. 1 2 "Disney Factbook 1997 - Disney Through the Decades" (PDF). The Walt Disney Company. p. 8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 May 2006. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  11. ↑ Disney in Arabic! [90's Disney Channel Middle East], 13 July 2013, archived from the original on 1 May 2022, retrieved 1 May 2022
  12. 1 2 "Disney Channel expands to South Africa". C21Media. Archived from the original on 22 June 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  13. 1 2 "Disney channel Africa goes 24/7". Broadband TV News. 5 March 2007. Archived from the original on 11 December 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  14. ↑ "Walt Disney launching cable channel in Turkey". Reuters . 3 April 2007. Archived from the original on 8 June 2022. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  15. ↑ "New landmark for Disney Channel". Broadband TV News. 12 January 2012. Archived from the original on 8 June 2022. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  16. ↑ "TV Channel: Disney Channel (version in Croatian)". MAVISE. Archived from the original on 23 May 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
  17. ↑ "Kanali". Total TV (in Macedonian). 10 March 2020. Archived from the original on 7 December 2022. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  18. ↑ "Disney Channel unveils its new logo and on-air branding across Africa". mediaupdate.co.za. Archived from the original on 12 August 2014. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
  19. ↑ "Change Log - KingOfSat" . Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  20. ↑ Disney Channel EMEA changed logo (24.06.2022. @ 05:00 CET), 25 June 2022, archived from the original on 22 August 2022, retrieved 22 August 2022
  21. ↑ Flopicco (17 August 2022), Disney Channel Brand System 2022, archived from the original on 22 August 2022, retrieved 22 August 2022
  22. ↑ Disney Channel Arabia | Continuity - Channel Shutdown from OSN | December 2023, January 2024, retrieved 2 January 2024
  23. ↑ "Disney Junior launches in SA". Channel24. Archived from the original on 16 June 2022. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  24. ↑ "Disney Junior launches in Arabic on OSN". BroadcastPro ME. 31 May 2016. Archived from the original on 4 July 2022. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  25. ↑ "Program Disney XD bo odslej na voljo tudi v Sloveniji". Dnevnik. Archived from the original on 10 September 2022. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
  26. ↑ "Disney lansira novi kanal za Srbiju". Marcon AG. DISNEY XD 3. OKTOBRA. Archived from the original on 19 December 2011. Retrieved 10 December 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  27. ↑ Nyathi, Audrey (12 May 2011). "Lots of animation on new channel". TimesLIVE. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  28. ↑ "Multichoice fined for Disney 'horror' - South Africa | IOL News". IOL News. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  29. ↑ "OSN to host Disney XD in Arabic". BroadcastPro ME. 9 August 2018. Archived from the original on 2 January 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  30. ↑ Ferreira, Thinus. "FOX Life and Disney XD going dark on DStv". Channel 24. Archived from the original on 8 June 2022. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  31. ↑ Disney XD Arabia | Last Continuity - Channel Shutdown | December 2020, January 2021, archived from the original on 1 May 2022, retrieved 14 August 2022
  32. ↑ "Disney XD To Shutdown On The Middle East On January 1st, Also Disney XD To Shut Down On Serbia in Early 2021". Archived from the original on 17 October 2022. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
  33. ↑ Disney XD Greece/EMEA - Last Continuity & Shutdown (31/01/2021 - 23:13), 31 January 2021, archived from the original on 14 August 2022, retrieved 14 August 2022
  34. ↑ "På Disney Channel i dag – guide og oversikt". VG TV-guide (in Norwegian). Retrieved 13 February 2024.
  35. ↑ "Disney Channel - Προγραμμα Τηλεορασης - Programma tv,tileorasis". programmatileorasis.gr. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
  36. ↑ New Season | Big City Greens | It's time to...PAINT. THIS. TOWN. GREEN! The Greens are back with an epic new season from 18 July! | By Disney Africa Channels | Facebook, archived from the original on 30 August 2022, retrieved 30 August 2022
  37. ↑ Amphibia | New Episodes | Buckle up for new thrilling adventures, everyday on Amphibia 🐸 | By Disney Africa Channels | Facebook, archived from the original on 30 August 2022, retrieved 30 August 2022
  38. ↑ s2 Gabby Duran | Whatever the challenge, Gabby continues to do it her way! Counting down to a new season of Gabby Duran & the Unsittables from Monday, 8 November at 18:15 😀 | By Disney Africa Channels | Facebook, archived from the original on 30 August 2022, retrieved 30 August 2022
  39. ↑ Tantrum | Gabby Duran & the Unsittables | Disney Channel Africa, 9 July 2020, archived from the original on 14 August 2022, retrieved 14 August 2022
  40. ↑ 👻 Supernatural Villains| Ghost Force | Disney Channel Africa, 14 December 2021, archived from the original on 14 August 2022, retrieved 14 August 2022
  41. ↑ 🌍 Brand-New | Team Sayari | Disney Channel Africa, 20 December 2022, archived from the original on 23 December 2022, retrieved 23 December 2022
  42. ↑ 💛 Brand-New Show | The Unstoppable Yellow Yeti | Disney Channel Africa, 26 April 2022, archived from the original on 14 August 2022, retrieved 14 August 2022
  43. ↑ ⚔️ Teachers Vs Kids | Viking Skool | Disney Channel Africa, 15 July 2022, archived from the original on 14 August 2022, retrieved 14 August 2022
  44. ↑ Viking Skool 😜 | New Show on Disney Channel, 22 July 2022, archived from the original on 14 August 2022, retrieved 14 August 2022
  45. ↑ "Disney Africa on Instagram: "Adventure with a bit of chaos on Disney Channel this July. 😀 Don't miss a brand-new show, Viking Skool from 4 July and a fresh season of Big City Greens is in bloom from 18 July."". Instagram . @disneyafrica. 29 June 2022. Archived from the original on 14 August 2022. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  46. ↑ Sneek peak: Zombies 2, 8 May 2020, archived from the original on 14 August 2022, retrieved 14 August 2022
  47. ↑ SPIN | Music is in everything, you just have to find it! Meet Rhea an American teen who discovers her passion for creating DJ mixes that blend with who she... | By Disney Africa Channels | Facebook, archived from the original on 30 August 2022, retrieved 30 August 2022
  48. ↑ 🎅🏻Oh no! | Christmas Again? | Disney Channel Africa, 13 December 2021, archived from the original on 14 August 2022, retrieved 14 August 2022
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.