Disney Channel
Channel Name: Disney
Channel
Launched:
April 18, 1983
Owned by:
Disney-ABC Television Group, (The Walt Disney Company)
Country:
United States
Broadcast area: Nationwide, International
Network:
Sun TV Network
Headquarters:
Burbank, California
Sister channels:
ABC, ABC Family, Disney Junior, Disney XD, Soapnet
Language: English
Website:
http://disneychannel.disney.com/
Disney Channel (originally "The
Disney Channel" from 1983 to 1997) is an American basic cable and
satellite television channel that is owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group, a
unit of the Disney Media Networks division of The Walt Disney Company. Aimed
mainly at pre-teens and teenagers 9–14 years of age and its
preschooler-targeted shows aimed at children 2–6, its programming consists of
original first-run television series, theatrically-released and original
made-for-cable movies and select other third-party programming. The channel –
which formerly operated as a premium service – originally marketed its programs
towards families, and then at younger children by the late 1990s, although its
viewing audience has diversified since the mid-2000s to include older teenagers
and adults.
The
U.S. channel is also the flagship property of Disney Channels Worldwide
(currently run by President and Chief Creative Officer Gary Marsh), a group of
more than 90 entertainment channels aimed at children and families that is
available in over 160 countries and 30 languages (platform brands that are part
of the unit, in addition to Disney Channel, include Disney XD, Disney Junior,
Disney Cinemagic, Hungama TV and Radio Disney).
History:
Conception (1977–1983) In early 1977, Walt Disney Productions executive Jim
Jimirro brought forth the idea of a cable television network that would feature
television and film material from the studio.[1] Since the company was focusing
on the development of Walt Disney World's Epcot Center, Disney chairman Card
Walker turned down the proposal.[2][3] Disney tried again in 1982, entering
into a partnership with the satellite unit of Group W (which had sold its 50%
ownership stake in one of The Disney Channel's early rivals, Showtime, to
Viacom around the same time); however, Group W would ultimately drop out of the
intended joint venture in September of that year, due to disagreements over the
channel's creative control and financial obligations that would have required
Group W to pay a 50% share of the channel's start-up costs.[3]
Despite
losing Group W as a partner, The Disney Channel continued on with its
development – now solely under the oversight of Walt Disney Productions, and
under the leadership of the channel's first president Alan Wagner;[4] Walt
Disney Productions formally announced the launch of its family-oriented cable
channel in early 1983. Disney later invested US$11 million to acquiring space
on two transponders of the Hughes Communications satellite Galaxy 1, and spent
US$20 million on purchasing and developing programming.[3]
Launch and early years as a premium channel
(1983–1997): The Disney Channel launched nationally as a premium channel on
April 18, 1983 at 7 a.m. ET;[5] the first program ever aired on the channel was
also its first original series Good Morning, Mickey!, which showcased classic
Disney animated shorts.[6] At the time of its launch, The Disney Channel's
programming aired for 16 hours each day,[4] from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. ET/PT.[5]
During its first full year, the channel was available to more than 532,000 subscribers
in the U.S.[7] Its programming during the channel's run as a premium service –
carrying through to its transition to a basic cable channel – had targeted
children and teenagers during the daytime, families during primetime and adults
at night. The Disney Channel differed from other premium services in that not
only it acquired broadcast rights to theatrically feature films, but, in
addition to producing its own original programs, the channel aired several
television series that were acquired through corporate sister Buena Vista
Television and other program distributors. In its first years, The Disney
Channel's programming included original programs Welcome to Pooh Corner and You
and Me Kid, along with several foreign-imported animated series and movies
including Asterix, The Raccoons, Paddington Bear and the Australian western
Five Mile Creek; the original late night schedule also featured reruns of The
Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.
Logo
used from April 18, 1983 to April 5, 1997; the text (bottom of image) was
modeled after the first version of The Walt Disney Company's wordmark logo,
introduced in February 1986 alongside the channel's wordmark logo; a generic
"THE DISNEY CHANNEL" text was used prior to then. The "Mickey
Mouse TV screen" design and text were often used separately with the
former as the de facto primary on-air logo.
The
channel's daytime schedule during its existence as a pay service was populated
primarily by series aimed at children, interspersed with a limited number of
movies (usually a single daytime feature on weekdays, and two or three films on
weekends), along with occasional live-action and animated specials for
children. The nighttime schedule featured a mix of movies (recent and older
family-oriented movies were shown in the early evenings, while classic films
usually ran during the late evening and overnight hours) and original specials
(primarily in the form of concerts, variety specials and documentaries). The
short segment D-TV, featuring popular music interwoven with scenes from
Disney's animated shorts and feature films, also periodically aired as filler
between shows. Unlike other premium services, it opted not to disclose a film's
Motion Picture Association of America rating the prior to the start of the
feature.
The channel's
primary logo (which was used until 1997) featured multiple lines resembling a
TV screen that featured a negative space silhouette of Mickey Mouse's head; IDs
shown before programs between 1986 and 1997 generally involved Mickey Mouse –
whose arms are only shown – involved in various situations (such as having a
nightmare in which the "Mickey Mouse TV" logo chases one of Mickey's
gloves or Mickey making shadow figures on a flashlight-lit wall) that featured
the logo being formed or displayed in various ways. The channel also provided a
monthly (and later bi-monthly) program guide/magazine called The Disney Channel
Magazine to its subscribers (the magazine also lent its name to a series of
interstitials seen on the channel), until it ceased publication as the channel
began primarily operating as a commercial-free basic channel.[5] As a premium
channel, The Disney Channel often ran free previews of five days to one week in
length four times annually, as well as two periodic weekend-only previews (with
ads targeted to those who were not subscribers); this resulted in The Disney
Channel offering more preview events each calendar year during its tenure as a
pay service than HBO, Cinemax and Showtime ran during that timeframe. In April
1984, the channel extended its daily programming to 18 hours (from 7 a.m. to 1
a.m. ET/PT), with the addition of two hours onto its late night schedule.[8] On
December 1, 1986, Disney Channel began broadcasting 24 hours a day.[9]
Early
in 1986, the musical sitcom Kids Incorporated premiered on the channel; the
series was centered around a pre-teen (and later teen-to-young adult) gang of
friends who formed a pop group, mixing their everyday situations with variety
show and music video-style performances. It became a hit for The Disney
Channel, spawning many future stars in both the music and acting worlds during
its nine-year run, including Martika (who went by her real name of Marta
Marrero in the show's first season), eventual Party of Five co-stars Scott Wolf
and Jennifer Love Hewitt (billed as Love Hewitt), and Stacy Ferguson (later a
member of The Black Eyed Peas under the stage name "Fergie").
Disney Channel's headquarters in Burbank,
California.
In
1988, Good Morning, Miss Bliss, a starring vehicle for Hayley Mills of Polyanna
and The Parent Trap fame, made its debut. After being cancelled following a
13-episode run due to low ratings, the series was picked up by NBC in 1989, and
retooled as Saved by the Bell, with Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Dustin Diamond, Lark
Voorhies and Dennis Haskins as the only Miss Bliss actors carried over to the
new show; the retooled series became a hit as part of NBC's Saturday morning
lineup (producing two spinoffs in the process) and through worldwide
syndication.
In
early 1989, the channel revived one of Disney's early TV staples with The
All-New Mickey Mouse Club (later known as simply MMC), becoming an immediate
hit that proved Disney's basic variety show formula still worked in the modern
era (unlike the short-lived 1970s revival). This version contained many
elements seen in the original series from "theme days" to updated
mouseketeer jackets, but the scripted and musical segments were more
contemporary. MMC served as the launching pad for several future stars such as
Christina Aguilera, JC Chasez, Ryan Gosling, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake
and Keri Russell.
By
1989, The Disney Channel had about five million subscribers nationwide. In
1991, eight cable providers volunteered to move the channel to their expanded
basic cable packages, with the first to make the transition (as a test run)
being Jones Intercable's Fort Myers and Broward County, Florida
systems.[10][11] Other cable providers eventually began moving the channel to
their basic tiers, either experimentally or on a full-time basis.[11] Even as
major providers such as Cox Communications and Marcus Cable began offering The
Disney Channel on their basic tiers, executives for The Walt Disney Company
denied plans to convert the channel into an ad-supported basic service, stating
that the move from premium to basic cable on some systems was part of a
five-year "hybrid" strategy that allowed providers to offer the
channel in either form.[12]
In
1991, The Disney Channel tested a two-channel multiplex service on two cable
systems.[13] By 1992, a third of the channel's subscriber base were estimated
by Nielsen Media Research to be adults that did not have children;[14] and by
1995, its subscriber base expanded to 15 million cable homes,[15] eight million
of which paid an additional monthly fee to receive the channel.[16] In 1996,
Anne Sweeney was appointed to oversee The Disney Channel, and the channel began
offering a nightly primetime film.[17]
Transition to basic cable (1997–2002): Logo
used from April 6, 1997 to October 6, 2002; various patterns were used with
this logo during that period, depending on the daypart. The "channel"
in the logo was typically omitted from on-air usage except during end credit
tags on its original programs.
On
April 6, 1997, The Disney Channel underwent a significant rebranding,
shortening its name to just "Disney Channel" – though on-air promos
that ran until September 2002 typically referred to the channel simply as
"Disney" – and introducing a new logo (a black Mickey ear-shaped TV,
though the TV's patterning often varied, particularly by the early 2000s; early
versions of the logo featured people and animated characters appearing within
it such as a 1930s-era Mickey Mouse).[18] The channel continued to transition
from a premium service into a basic cable channel around this time, albeit with
a similar programming format to the one it carried as a full-fledged pay
channel; however, the channel began shifting its target audience more toward
kids but continued to cater to family audiences at night,[19] the channel decreased
the amount of classic films it aired, and its music programming shifted towards
the pre-teen and teenage demographic, incorporating music videos and revamping
its concert specials to feature younger musicians popular with that target
audience. Disney Channel initially continued to offer free preview events for
pay television providers that continued to carry it as a premium service but
discontinued them altogether within three years of the rebrand (Disney Channel
would not complete its transition to a basic cable service until around
2004).[20] Disney Channel also began to air break interruptions within shows,
featuring promotions for the channel's programs, and feature film and home
video releases from Disney.
The
channel would eventually split itself into three programming blocks: amongst
which were "Playhouse Disney" (comprising shows aimed at
preschoolers) and "Vault Disney" (featuring classic Disney programs
such as Zorro,[22] The Mickey Mouse Club and the Walt Disney anthology television
series, older television specials and feature films). "Zoog Disney"
was introduced in August 1998 and became the channel's most distinct program
block,[23] the afternoon to late evening lineup was hosted by anthropomorphic
robot-like characters called "Zoogs" (which were originally
two-dimensional figures, but were given a cel shaded redesign and mature voices
in 2001, before being phased out after less than a year) and was designed to
encourage viewer interactivity between television and the internet. The Zoog
Disney brand would later expand, with all weekend programming (outside of the
Vault Disney and Playhouse Disney blocks) becoming part of the "Zoog
Weekendz" umbrella block from September 2001 to August 2002.
Original
programming on Disney Channel began to ramp up during this period starting with
the sitcom Flash Forward, and would increase in the following years with shows
like The Famous Jett Jackson and So Weird, into the early 2000s with Lizzie
McGuire – whose star Hilary Duff became the first lead actor or actress in one
of the channel's series to cross over into music through a record deal with
co-owned Hollywood Records – and Even Stevens – which helped launch the career
of its star Shia LaBeouf.
In
1999, Disney Channel began mandating that cable operators who continued to
carry it as a premium service must move the channel to a basic cable tier or
stop carrying it altogether, stipulating that it would not renew carriage
agreements with providers (such as Time Warner Cable and Comcast, the last
major cable providers to carry the channel as a pay service) that chose to
continue carrying the network as a premium channel.[24] With the shift towards
children as its target audience, some off-network programs acquired by the
channel during the early 2000s (such as Boy Meets World and later Sister,
Sister) began to be edited for content deemed inappropriate like profanity and
sexual references.
By
2001, Disney Channel was available to approximately 70 million cable and
satellite subscribers, largely consisting of those who already received the
channel through basic cable, as well as what remained of its pay subscriber
base.[25] The music videos and concert specials that the channel ran since the
1997 rebrand were dropped by this time, citing the inability to obtain revenue
from the artists' CD sales and lack of exclusivity for the videos;[26] the
channel soon after began featuring music videos from artists signed to Disney's
in-house record labels Hollywood Records and Walt Disney Records, and songs
featured in Disney-produced feature films. The channel debuted The Proud Family
as its first original animated series in 2001, though it achieved its first
major animated series hit the following year with the premiere of Kim Possible.
Success and changing focus in the 2000s
(2002–2007) Current logo since September 2002. By 2002, Disney Channel was
seen in 80 million cable homes nationwide.[27] In early September of that year,
Disney Channel began a gradual rebranding with the "Zoog" brand being
discontinued from on-air use (though Zoog Disney would continue to exist as a
separate website until 2003, when the site's content was consolidated onto
Disney Channel's primary website, disneychannel.com). Then on September 16, the
Vault Disney block was replaced by same-day repeats of the channel's original
and acquired programs, primarily to contribute to the network's then-upcoming
"hip" image; the block's removal resulted in Disney Channel not
featuring programs aimed at adults for the first time in its history – with the
channel's primetime feature films becoming the only programs that intentionally
targets a broader family audience; as of 2013, Disney Channel is the only major
American cable channel aimed at children that does not directly maintain a dual
audience of both kids and adults (Nickelodeon, The Hub and Cartoon Network each
feature nighttime programming for families and/or adults). Movies shown during
primetime were also reduced from an average of two to three features to only
one each night of the week.[28] Its original programming phased out reality and
scripted drama series, substantially increasing the channel's reliance on
live-action sitcoms and animated series.
One
month later on October 7, 2002, Disney Channel introduced a new on-air logo
designed by CA Square (using an outline of Mickey Mouse's head as its
centerpiece) that would later be adopted by its international sister channels
in May 2003, and unveiled a new graphics designed to fit the network's new
look; moreover, Disney Channel began using a series of bumpers that are still
in use, primarily featuring actors and animated characters from its original
programs (and occasionally from Disney's theatrical releases), drawing the
Disney Channel logo using a glowstick. Playhouse Disney became the only program
block introduced in 1997 to remain by this point (it was later relaunched as
Disney Junior in February 2011). Around this time, Disney Channel's original
series began airing as part of corporate sister ABC's Saturday morning
children's program block.
Veteran
cable executive Anne Sweeney became president of Disney-ABC Television Group in
2004, ultimately helping to remake Disney Channel into "the major profit
driver in the company" by the middle of the decade[29] as the channel made
major inroads in increasing its overall viewership, while in turn using a
strategy – that proved successful – to discover, nurture and aggressively
cross-promote teen music stars whose style and image were carefully targeted to
the pre-teen and teenage demographic.[29] Around that time as Disney Channel's
intended target audience began ranging from preschoolers to young adolescents,
the channel began to quickly gain in popularity, and added viewers outside this
target demographic, creating increased competition with Viacom-owned Nickelodeon.
In
2003, Disney Channel premiered its first ever made-for-cable movie musical, The
Cheetah Girls, which received a worldwide audience of 84 million viewers. In
2005, That's So Raven (which debuted in 2003) became the channel's
highest-rated series since its transition to basic cable as well as being the
first original series to run longer than 65 episodes – breaking a highly
controversial rule that was implemented in 1998, aimed at limiting increases in
production costs for its original programming (the 65-episode rule is no longer
enforced, although most series are now usually discontinued after their fourth
season at maximum) – Raven eventually became the channel's longest-running
original series at 100 episodes (until it was surpassed by Wizards of Waverly
Place in October 2011) and became the first to spawn a spin-off series (Cory in
the House). The Suite Life of Zack & Cody also debuted in 2005, becoming a
hit for the channel. The earlier success of The Cheetah Girls led to the
creation of other music-themed original programming as 2006 saw the debut of
the hit original movie High School Musical and the series Hannah Montana, the
latter of which launched the career of its star Miley Cyrus (who starred
opposite her father, country singer Billy Ray Cyrus, in the series). On July 28
of that year, the channel saw the debut of the its first multiple-series
crossover, That's So Suite Life of Hannah Montana (which involved That's So
Raven, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and Hannah Montana).
Disney Channel today (2007–present): This
section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this
article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be
challenged and removed. (November 2011) In 2007, the channel began dropping most
of its syndicated programs, and also began to incorporate rotating hour-long
blocks of its original series and other programs during the daytime hours. It
also moved first-run episodes of its original series on weekends from late
afternoon to primetime. Two new series also premiered: the That's So Raven
spin-off Cory in the House (which ended after two seasons) and the more
successful Wizards of Waverly Place (which by the time it ended its run in
January 2012 had beat the record previously held by That's So Raven to become
Disney Channel's longest-running original series, with 106 episodes). High
School Musical 2 premiered on August 17 of that year, becoming the
highest-rated non-sports program in the history of basic cable and the
highest-rated made-for-cable movie premiere on record (as well as the
highest-rated television program – broadcast or cable – of Summer 2007) with
17.2 million viewers.[30] 2008 saw the debut of Phineas and Ferb, the first
original animated series to be broadcast in HD, and The Suite Life of Zack
& Cody spin-off, The Suite Life on Deck, along with two more music-based
original made-for-TV movies: Camp Rock and The Cheetah Girls: One World. The
Suite Life on Deck became the number one series among children between ages of 6-
and 12-years-old in 2008.
Capitalizing
on the rising star status of the Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato following Camp
Rock, 2009 saw the premieres of two series respectively starring both acts:
JONAS and Sonny with a Chance (Lovato also starred in the original movie
Princess Protection Program, which premiered that June). The August debut of
the original film Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie became the highest-rated
cable program of 2009 (excluding sporting events), premiering to 11.4 million
viewers and becoming the second highest-rated original movie premiere in Disney
Channel's history. The July 17 premiere of the Wizards/Suite Life on
Deck/Hannah Montana crossover special Wizards on Deck with Hannah Montana also
beat out its cable and broadcast competition that night with 9.1 million
viewers (effectively making the Wizards and On Deck episodes featured in the
special the highest-rated episodes of all three series at that point).
In
2010, Good Luck Charlie debuted as Disney Channel's first original sitcom
targeted at family audiences, while Fish Hooks and Shake It Up also made their
premieres. That year also saw the premiere of Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam among
the four original movies premiering that year, along with two made-for-TV
movies that were co-produced with Canadian specialty channels (Harriet the Spy:
Blog Wars, in conjunction with Movie Central and The Movie Network; and 16
Wishes, with Family Channel). On November 19, 2010, Disney Channel began
offering an alternate Spanish-language audio feed (carried either as a separate
second audio program track or sold by cable and satellite providers in the form
of a separate channel that is part of a Spanish-language programming package).
Hannah Montana and The Suite Life on Deck both ended in 2011; Sonny with a
Chance, meanwhile, was retooled as So Random! – focusing on the show within the
show – after Demi Lovato decided not to return to the series to focus on her
music career, following her treatment for bulimia and bipolar disorder (the So
Random! spin-off series was canceled after one season in May 2012).[32] Four
other series (A.N.T. Farm, PrankStars, Jessie and Austin & Ally) also
debuted that year, along with six made for-TV movies (including The Suite Life
Movie, Lemonade Mouth and Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Across the 2nd
Dimension).
2012
saw Disney Channel end Nickelodeon's 17-year run as the highest-rated cable
channel in the United States, with its first ever win in total day cable
network viewership as measured by ACNielsen.[33] In June of that year, The Walt
Disney Company announced that it would stop advertising or promoting food or
beverage products that do not meet strict nutritional guidelines on Disney
Channel or its other media properties aimed at children by 2015, purportedly
becoming the first media company to take such a stance on stopping the
marketing of junk food products to kids.[34]
On-screen
mark seen at the beginning of Disney Channel programs indicator the program
features DVS audio.
On
July 1, 2012, Disney Channel began providing Descriptive Video Service audio as
part of the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010
that required stations in the 25 largest media markets aligned with the major
broadcast networks as well as the five highest-rated cable and satellite
channels (including Disney Channel) to offer audio descriptions for the
blind.[35][36] On July 14, 2012, Disney Channel announced its first television
collaboration with Marvel Entertainment (which was acquired by The Walt Disney
Company in 2009), in the form of a crossover special set to air in August 2013
called Phineas & Ferb: Mission Marvel featuring characters from Phineas
& Ferb and the Marvel Universe.[37] In January 2013, Disney launched the
Disney Shows channel on YouTube, featuring free episodes of Disney Channel and
Disney XD series past and present, as well as original shorts seen on both
channels.[38]
Programming: Main
articles: List of programs broadcast by Disney Channel and List of Disney
Channel series
Disney
Channel's schedule currently consists largely of original series aimed at
pre-teens and young teenagers (including animated series such as Phineas and
Ferb, Fish Hooks and Gravity Falls, to live-action series such as Good Luck
Charlie, Shake It Up, Dog With a Blog, Jessie and Austin & Ally) and Disney
Junior series aimed at preschoolers (such as Sofia the First, Jake and the
Never Land Pirates and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse). The channel also airs repeats
of former Disney Channel original series (such as The Suite Life on Deck and
Wizards of Waverly Place), occasional reruns of Disney XD original series (such
as Kickin' It, Lab Rats and Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil), original
made-for-TV movies, feature films, short-form programs known as "short
shows" (which air more commonly on the Disney Junior block) and music
videos from artists signed to sister companies Hollywood Records and Walt
Disney Records as well as songs featured in recent and upcoming Disney feature
film releases (full versions of these music videos typically air only during
the video's premiere and as filler between programs, while shorter versions
usually air during promo breaks during the current program).
Disney
Channel operates as an essentially commercial-free channel, opting not to
feature traditional commercial advertisements during its in-show breaks due to
concerns that younger viewers may be unable to separate the difference between
programs and advertisements, and in order to pay a lower license fee rate to
broadcast feature films distributed by major movie studios than ad-supported
channels would pay – in lieu of running commercials, Disney Channel maintains
underwriter sponsorships with major companies such as Best Western and Mattel,
in addition to in-house promotions for Disney Channel's programs (and
occasionally, programs seen on other Disney-owned channels) and releases for
Disney entertainment products.[21]
Atypical
of most U.S. cable channels, since 2006, Disney Channel's scripted programs
(including shows featured on the Disney Junior block) feature additional scenes
played over the closing credits. It also has an unwritten requirement that its
original live-action series no more than six regular cast members (So Weird was
the last series prior to 2003 to have more than six series regulars within its
cast, only Shake It Up has featured more than that since that point with its
second season having seven cast members on contract with the show). The
channel's series tend to have smaller writing staffs compared to scripted
series seen on other broadcast and cable networks (usually featuring around 4
and 8 credited staff writers, instead of the 8 to 11 writers commonly found on
most scripted shows). Its live-action multi-camera series also commonly utilize
a simulated film look (the FilmLook processing for such shows debuting between
2003 and 2008; the HD-compatible 'filmizing' technique for all newer and
returning original series produced after 2009, which reduce the video frame rate
to 24 frames per second). During the 1980s and 1990s, Disney Channel ran
classic Disney animated shorts released between the 1930s and 1960s, which were
removed from the lineup in 2000; since 2009, repackaged versions of these
shorts are seen as part of the short series ReMicks and have a laugh!. The
channel later debuted Where's My Mickey, a series of original shorts featuring
the classic Disney animated characters including Mickey Mouse on June 28, 2013.
Movie library: Disney Channel often broadcasts a
movie most nights during the week and occasionally airs films during the
daytime hours, but these may not necessarily be a theatrically released film.
The channel produces original made-for-cable movies called Disney Channel
Original Movies (or DCOMs), which are frequently broadcast during prime time
hours; family-oriented made-for-television movies began airing on the Disney
Channel in October 1983 under the brand Disney Channel Premiere Films with the
premiere of Tiger Town, the DCOM slate began with the August 1997 premiere of
Northern Lights. After that point, the number of DCOMs that debuted each year
began to increase – from two in 1997 to a high of twelve in 2000, when the
network premiered a new original movie each month during that year, before
decreasing the current rate of roughly four to six premieres each year. Disney
Channel previously ran double airings of its original movies on the night of
their premiere (until the January 2006 premiere of High School Musical), though
encore presentations of said films occasionally still air on the Saturday or
Sunday of the initial debut weekend with few exceptions (Camp Rock was the
first film not to be encored in this manner). "Special edition"
airings of its higher-profile original movies are also sometimes aired,
including sing-along versions of music-based films (featuring lyrics displayed
on-screen for viewers to sing along with the film's songs) and "What's
What" editions (styled similarly to Pop-Up Video, featuring on-screen pop
up facts about the movie and its stars).
High
School Musical 2 is currently the most successful DCOM in terms of popularity
and accolades, setting a basic cable record for the single most-viewed
television program, as its August 2007 debut was watched by 17.2 million
(counting sports, this record stood until a December 3, 2007 New England
Patriots-Baltimore Ravens game telecast on corporate sibling ESPN's Monday
Night Football was watched by 17.5 million viewers). The Cheetah Girls films
were also notably successful in terms of merchandise, and sales for its concert
tour and soundtrack albums. The first film was the first TV movie musical in
Disney Channel's history, and had a worldwide audience of over 84 million
viewers. The second movie was the most successful of the series, bringing in
8.1 million viewers in the U.S. An 86-date concert tour featuring the group was
ranked as one of the top 10 concert tours of 2006; the tour broke a record at
the Houston Rodeo that was set by Elvis Presley in 1973, selling out with
73,500 tickets sold in three minutes.
In
addition to its made-for-cable films, Disney Channel has rights to theatrically
released feature films, with some film rights shared with sister network ABC
Family. Along with films released by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, the
channel also has rights to films from other studios including Warner Bros.
Entertainment, Universal Pictures, The Weinstein Company, Sony Pictures
Entertainment, Lions Gate Entertainment, 20th Century Fox and Paramount
Pictures. Some films released by Bagdasarian Productions (such as The Chipmunk
Adventure and Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet Frankenstein) have also aired on
Disney Channel, although most of them are not presently owned by Walt Disney
Studios Motion Pictures.
Films
made up roughly half of Disney Channel's daily schedule between 1986 and 1998;
the number of movies broadcast on the channel have steadily eroded since then,
to the point that films now only air Monday through Thursdays in primetime on
an inconsistent basis (with episodes of its original series airing on nights
when a film is not scheduled), and regularly on weekend late nights. Except for
some holiday-themed movies, many Disney Channel Original Movies made from 1997
to 2005 have seldom aired on the channel in recent years; these older original
movies began airing again in January 2009, as part of a late night block on
Fridays and Saturdays (a Sunday block was later added in June 2010, with these
late movie presentations being moved from 3 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. ET/PT – and
sometimes airing without breaks – the following month). Cadet Kelly, Camp Rock
and Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior are currently the only Disney Channel Original
Movies to have aired on a network outside of the Disney Channel brand domestically
(the latter two have aired on sister channel ABC Family, while Cadet Kelly and
Camp Rock have also been broadcast on ABC as part of The Wonderful World of
Disney).
On
September 13, 2010, Disney Channel began airing theatrical film releases in a
4:3 letterbox format on the channel's primary standard definition feed, airing
them in the widescreen-style format as they are broadcast on the HD feed;
although theatrical movies shot with an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 or 2.40:1 are
panned and scanned to fit high-definition sets to eliminate screen burn-in on
plasma displays. Partly due to the network advertising mainly its own programs
in lieu of traditional advertising, films featured on Disney Channel often run
short of their allotted time slot with interstitial programming airing to pad
out the remainer of the time period (usually an episode of an original series
if a film runs approximately 90 to 100 minutes, an 11-minute-long episode of an
original animated series for films running 105 minutes or a mix of music
videos, network promotions and short segments for films running longer than 105
minutes).
Programming blocks
Current
Disney
Junior – Disney Channel currently programs shows targeted at preschool-age
children on Monday through Fridays from 6 a.m.–2 p.m. (6-9 a.m. during the
summer months) and weekends from 6–9 a.m. ET/PT, called Disney Junior, which
debuted on February 14, 2011. As of 2010, the only programming featuring
classic Disney characters is Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on Disney Junior, and the
Have a Laugh! short films on the network itself. Other programs currently seen
in this block include Jake and the Never Land Pirates, Special Agent Oso,
Imagination Movers, Handy Manny, Little Einsteins, Jungle Junction, 3rd and
Bird, Babar and the Adventures of Badou and Doc McStuffins. Disney Junior is
the successor to Playhouse Disney, another preschool-targeted block which
debuted in September 1997. Disney Junior became its own basic cable and
satellite channel on March 23, 2012 as a direct competitor to Nick Jr., qubo
and PBS Kids Sprout, replacing Soapnet on some cable and satellite
providers.[39]
Weekend
evening blocks – Disney Channel airs first-run or recent episodes of its
original series over the course of three nights, branded as "Disney
Channel (day of week) Night", with first-run episodes premiering on Friday
and/or Sunday evenings. Friday nights feature a combination of either A.N.T.
Farm, Phineas & Ferb, Jessie, Gravity Falls and Fish Hooks, while Sunday
nights feature Good Luck Charlie, Shake It Up, Dog with a Blog and Austin &
Ally. Since October 2010, programming on both night's schedules has been
somewhat fluid as while all series have a permanent place on the Friday and
Sunday primetime schedules, episode premieres of all Disney Channel original
series are subject to being rotated on and off the schedule depending on the
schedule for that given week; depending on the night, these episode premieres
usually air Fridays from 8–9:30 (or 10) p.m. and Sundays from 7:30–9 (or 9:30)
p.m. ET/PT. Saturday nights feature repeats of recent episodes of the channel's
original series or an occasional film telecast (the channel made two previous
attempts at launching a Saturday night block of first-run programs to compete
against Nickelodeon's higher-rated lineup on that night, first from 2007 to
2008 and again briefly during the spring of 2009; the channel would later air
new episodes of its Sunday evening series to Saturday night for one week on
June 8, 2013, supposedly to compete against the premiere of the Nickelodeon
series Sam & Cat). Encores of the respective night's programs typically air
between 11 p.m. and 2:30 a.m. ET/PT each night during that weekend.
Disney
Channel Saturday Mornings – Disney Channel Saturday Mornings is an animation
block that debuted as "Toonin' Saturdays" on June 17, 2011, the
lineup – which airs most Saturdays from 9-10 a.m. ET/PT, it is sometimes
preempted in favor of other Disney Channel original programs – primarily
consists of double-episode airings of Disney Channel original animated series
Fish Hooks and Phineas and Ferb. Occasionally, new first-run episodes of either
series will be featured in the block, though new episodes may also sometimes
air in their original Friday night time slots.
Disney
Replay – Disney Replay is a Wednesday night block that debuted on March 17,
2013, developed in honor of Disney Channel's 30th anniversary. Airing from 12–1
a.m. ET/PT, the block features double episode runs of defunct Disney Channel
original series from the 2000s (such as Kim Possible, Lizzie McGuire and Even
Stevens).
Seasonal
programming blocks
Disney
Channel Summer – The network runs summer programming blocks every year with
differing themes. Since 2011, Disney Channel has branded its summer programming
lineup as "Disney Channel Summer". Generally most of the network's
series run new episodes through the summer and original movies premiere in
these months to take advantage of the largest possible children's audience, as
do most children's networks.
October/Halloween
– In October, Disney Channel airs Halloween-themed programming in an annual
event, titled "Monstober", a brand used in 2011 and 2012.[40]
Halloween films such as the Halloweentown series have premiered in this month,
along with Twitches, Twitches Too, The Scream Team, Mostly Ghostly, and Wizards
of Waverly Place: The Movie, along with Halloween episodes of the network's
original series.
December/Christmas
– The network's December schedule usually focuses on Christmas programming,
with the title of the branding changing every year. Since 2011, Disney Channel
has branded its holiday season programming lineup as
"Fa-la-la-lidays". Christmas films such as the The Christmas Visitor,
The Ultimate Christmas Present, 'Twas the Night, Beethoven's Christmas
Adventure, and Good Luck Charlie, It's Christmas! have premiered in this month,
along with Christmas episodes of the network's original series such as Phineas
and Ferb Christmas Vacation. A Christmas in July week with encores of
Christmas-themed programming is featured in that summer month.
New
Year's Eve – A New Year's Eve tradition going back to the Zoog Disney days in
2000, the network airs a marathon into the early morning of New Year's Day
featuring programs, films and moments selected by viewer vote on
disneychannel.com, followed by an original series marathon on New Year's Day
(the exception was 2011 due to New Year's Eve occurring on a Saturday that
year). This sometimes leads into a month-long lineup of new episodes of the
channel's original programs that air each weekend during that month.
Former
Disney
Nighttime – As a premium channel from 1983 to 1997, The Disney Channel featured
programming aimed at adult audiences during the evening and overnight hours
under the banner title "Disney Nighttime". Unlike the nighttime
content aired on the channel's then-competitors (such as HBO and Showtime) at
the time of its launch, the "adult" programming featured on The
Disney Channel was largely devoid of any overt sexual and violent content.
Programming seen during Disney Nighttime included older feature films (similar
to those seen at the time on American Movie Classics, and eventually Turner
Classic Movies, with both Disney film titles and movies from other film studios
mixed in), along with original concert specials (featuring artists ranging from
Rick Springfield to Elton John), variety specials and documentaries.
Magical
World of Disney – This block was used as a Sunday night umbrella for movies and
specials on The Disney Channel starting in 1990, originally airing exclusively
on Sunday evenings at 7 p.m. ET. From the channel's first major on-air rebrand
in 1997 until 1999, the Magical World of Disney became the de facto branding
for the Disney Channel's nightly films that aired at 7 p.m. ET/PT.
Toonin'
Tuesday – From 1992 to 1997, The Disney Channel ran a weekly program block
called "Toonin' Tuesday", which featured various animated programs
each Tuesday from 6 to 8 p.m. ET; "Toonin' Tuesday" primarily
featured animated films and specials (though reruns of The Charlie Brown and
Snoopy Show sometimes aired as part of the block).
Disney
Channel Discovery – This block, which aired on certain Saturdays at 7 p.m. ET
from 1988 to 1993, showcased family-oriented feature films not previously seen
on television or in wide theatrical release.
The
Best of Hollywood – This block, which ran each Monday starting at 9 p.m. ET
from 1988 to 1995, showcased feature film classics from the 1930s to the 1960s.
Mystery
Night – This block, which ran each Tuesday starting at 9 p.m. ET from 1988 to
1993, focused on mystery films from the 1930s to the 1960s.
Sunday
Night Showcase – This block, which ran each Sunday starting at 9 p.m. ET from
1988 to 1995, featured various music, variety, comedy and documentary specials.
Totally
Kids Only – "Totally Kids Only" (or "TKO" for short) was a
weekday morning program lineup of live-action and animated series, which became
the brand for the channel's 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET block aimed at children 2 to 8
years old from 1993 to 1997.
Triple
Feature Friday – This block, which ran each Friday starting at 5 p.m. ET from
1994 to 1997, featured three different films – sometimes regardless of each
film's genre – that were tied to a specific subject.
Block
Party – From October 2, 1995 to the summer of 1996, four animated series that
previously aired on The Disney Afternoon (Darkwing Duck, TaleSpin, DuckTales
and Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers) were rerun on The Disney Channel as part of a
two-hour programming block called "Block Party" which aired on
weekdays from 5 to 7 p.m. ET/PT.[41]
Disney
Distractions – "Disney Distractions" was the banner name for Disney
Channel's weekend afternoon movie block from 1997 to 2000, which ran Saturdays
and Sundays from 12:30 to (usually) 4 p.m. ET, which aired as a double feature
of family-oriented films.
Vault
Disney – Disney Nighttime was replaced by "Vault Disney" in September
1997, five months after Disney Channel's first major rebrand. Originally a
Sunday-only block, Vault Disney expanded to seven nights a week by 1999, and
aired late nights from midnight to 6 a.m. ET (although the block had a 9 p.m.
ET start time on Sunday nights from 1997 to 1999). The classic programming
changed to feature only Disney-produced television series and specials (such as
Zorro, Spin and Marty, The Mickey Mouse Club and the Walt Disney anthology
television series),[22] along with older Disney television specials. Older
Disney feature films also were part of the lineup from 1997 to 2000, but aired
in a reduced capacity. The block also featured The Ink and Paint Club, featuring
classic Disney animated shorts, which became the only remaining program on the
channel to feature these shorts by 1999, upon the removal of Quack Pack from
the schedule. This block was discontinued in September 2002, in favor of
running reruns of the channel's original and acquired series during the late
evening and overnight hours.
Zoog
Disney – Launched in August 1998, Zoog Disney was a program block that aired on
weekend afternoons. The hosts for the block were "Zoogs", animated
anthropomorphic characters resembling robots, but were given human voices (some
of whom acted like teenagers). The block tied television and the internet
together, allowing viewer comments and scores from players of ZoogDisney.com's
online games to be aired on the channel during regular programming in a ticker
format (which the channel continued to use after the block was discontinued,
however the ticker has been all but completely dropped as of May 2010).[23] The
Zoogs were redesigned with cel shading and given mature voices in 2001, though
the remade Zoog characters were discontinued after less than a year; the entire
Zoog Disney block was phased out by September 2002. From September 2001 to
August 2002, the afternoon and primetime lineups on Fridays, Saturdays and
Sundays were branded under the umbrella title "Zoog Weekendz".
Toon
Disney Summer Sundays – "Toon Disney Summer Sundays", which ran on
Sunday evenings from 7 to 9 p.m. ET during the summers of 1998 and 1999, was a
hosted sneak preview block of animated series (generally featuring defunct
1990s animated series previously seen in syndication and/or on Disney Channel)
carried on Disney Channel's then-recently launched sister digital cable and
satellite network, Toon Disney.
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