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.
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 (2007-2017)
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 November 30, 2007; 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 (November 2, 2009-May 6, 2011-November 30, 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 2009-11 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 June 2011.[1][5][10]
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.
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.
Programming blocks
Current
Disney Junior (branded as Weekday Mornings on-air) – a weekday morning programming block featuring programming from Disney Junior.[6] The block was originally discontinued after May 6, 2011, 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, Jake and the Never Land Pirates, premiered on May 6, 2011, 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 June 1, 2011 The block returned in July 2011.
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 2, 2009, 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 Scaredy Squirrel premiere episode.[17] The block returned on June 1, 2011, 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 July 1, 2011, but then returned on September 1, 2012, with Grossology, League of Super Evil, and Kid vs Kat.
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 The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That! along with movies like Sidekick and new episodes of Almost Naked Animals on September 1, 2012. It was the last channel to air on February 15, 2016, after YTV and Teletoon. It returned as a YTV-exclusive since 2019.
^"Disney XD". disneychannel.ca Buzz Blog. Corus Entertainment. November 1, 2015. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
Some of the assets listed above are majority-owned, wholly-owned, by Corus Entertainment, or are under license. Refer to full asset list for detailed information.
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