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Disney Channel (Spain)

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Disney Channel was a Spanish free-to-air television channel centered on kids programming. It was owned by Disney-ABC Cable Networks Group, which is owned by The Walt Disney Company under license of the Spanish group Vocento, which includes the conservative Spanish newspaper ABC (unrelated to American TV network of the same name). It was launched in 1998 as a pay television channel. On July 1, 2008, it replaced Fly Music on Spanish digital terrestrial television, thus becoming the first Disney Channel available free-to-air in the world, until closing down on January 7, 2025.

History[]

Disney Channel Spain was launched in 1998, when The Walt Disney Company and Sogecable came to an agreement to distribute a Spanish version of the American Disney Channel on Canal+ Spain's pay TV satellite platform Canal Satélite Digital, with the channel being initially an exclusive to Canal+'s pay TV platform in Spain similarly to how it was the case in France (Canal Satellite Numerique) and Italy (Tele+ Digitale).

The channel began broadcasting on April 17, 1998 opening with the Spainish television premiere of The Lion King. The channel carried local-made shows and Disney's animation library. A Spanish version of the British show Art Attack, hosted by Jordi Cruz, was also produced and broadcast, among others, such as La Liga Disney Channel, Zon@ Disney, and Enigma Animal.

In September 1999, Disney Channel Spain adopted Disney Channel UK's "Circles" logo and ident set created by GÉDÉON. On November 16, 2001, Disney started to offer three more channels following the strategy seen in the UK: a timeshift channel, called Disney Channel +1, Toon Disney and Playhouse Disney. Toon Disney's schedule was meant to air exclusively Disney animation, while Playhouse was a channel for a preschool audience. All of these were initially exclusive to Canal Satélite Digital, just like Disney Channel.

By this point the main channel had broken its exclusivity with Canal Satelite Digital and begun to become avalible in other pay TV operators, with the extra channels following a few years later.

In February 2008, the Walt Disney Company Iberia (TWDCI) decided to buy 20% stake in digital terrestrial television multiplex operator Sociedad Gestora de Televisión Net TV. After the purchase, Net TV was owned by Vocento (55%), Intereconomía Group (25%), and TWDCI (20%). Finally, the company announced in late May 2008 the launch of Disney Channel replacing Net TV's Fly Music as a digital over-the-air channel on July 1, 2008, becoming the first Disney Channel available for free, something that would be replicated in the following years in other regions, like Russia, Turkey, and German. The move was incredibly successful leading to a massive increase in ratings.

In the same day as Disney Channel's move to DTT, Toon Disney became Disney Cinemagic, like the British and French versions did during the previous two years. As a consequence of this, most of Disney Channel's premium characteristics, like the Spanish television premieres of Disney films, moved to Disney Cinemagic.

On May 1, 2010, Disney Channel Spain started broadcasting in 16:9 widescreen. Disney Channel has launched its new App logo on June 20, 2011. The website was also revamped. In 2012 an online service called Disney Replay was introduced. It airs full episodes of series. The Phineas and Ferb episode "Knot My Problem" first premiered on this service on June 10, 2013. In November 2013 the site was changed again as per the other European Disney Channels.

Disney Channel+1 was gradually discontinued over the course of the 2010s, being mostly replaced with Disney Channel HD. The channel was permanently discontinued on March 9, 2017, after being removed from Vodafone TV, in favor of rewind features built into the Cable Boxes.

By the end of 2014, Disney Cinemagic closed its doors in Spain, with the Spanish television premiere rights to subsequent Disney films, including productions from Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm, being transfered to Canal+ Spain, soon to be renamed Movistar Plus. Eventually a spiritual successor would be launched in the form of Movistar Disney, a channel exclusive to the Movistar Plus. The channel was launched on December 22, 2017 and closed by the end of March 2020, alongside Disney XD, due to the launch of Disney+ in Spain which also took the Spanish television premiere rights to subsequent Disney films going forward.

By December 23, 2021, it was announced that Disney had sold its 20% on NetTV to Squirrel Media, who acquired Vocento's 55% a few weeks prior.[1] This, combined with the fact that Disney Channel's audience share in Spain had become significantly weaker than its direct free to air competitors, Clan and Boing (both having rights for the distribution in Spain of content created by Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network), implied heavily that Disney Channel could be be eliminated from DTT in Spain in the next few years.[2]

In addition to this, over the course of 2022, Disney Channel in Spain began to lose most of its aquired programming that was exclusive to the region and began to follow a much closer release schedule to that of Disney Channel in Portugal, with both regions often sharing premiere dates for new episodes of Disney produced shows going forward.

On January 19, 2024 it was announced that the DTT signal of Disney Channel Spain would upgrade from its 576i resolution to 1080p on February 14, 2024, due to the shutdown of SD signals on terrestrial television in Spain on that same day.[3]

On 27 November 2024, it was announced that Disney Channel in Spain would be closing down on 7 January 2025, due to its viewership continuing to decline and as a result of wider adoption of Disney+ in the country. Disney Junior Spain was not be affected by this and will continue broadcasting after Disney Channel shuts down.[4] The final week of broadcasting of the channel consisted of airings of various iconic Disney Channel shows that been retired by this point and Disney Channel Original Movies. The final programming to be broadcasted on the channel was the Hannah Montana series finale "Wherever I Go". This was followed by one final commercial break, with the channel closing afterwards dispaying a message saying that its content could still be enjoyed on Disney Jr. The terrestial signal of channel was replaced a few seconds later by a completly new channel named "Squirrel".

Programmes[]

Animated[]

Live-Action[]

* Original Disney Channel/Disney XD shows produced and made in Spain

Acquired Programing[]

  • Caitlin's Way[7]
  • The Hughleys[6]
  • Moesha[5][6][9]
  • 100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd[5][6][9]
  • Are You Afraid of the Dark?[5][6]
  • Just the Ten of Us[11]
  • The Brady Bunch[5]
  • The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air[8]
  • Family Matters[9][8]
  • The Wonder Years[6]
  • Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman[7][9][8]
  • Microsoap[5][6]
  • Parker Lewis Can't Lose[5]
  • Round the Twist[6]
  • Stickin' Around[11][6]
  • The Adventures of Sam & Max: Freelance Police[11]
  • Braceface[9][8]
  • Mona the Vampire[5][6][9]
  • Jackie Chan Adventures[7][9]
  • Moville Mysteries[10]
  • ¡Ala... Dina![10]
  • Kid vs. Kat
  • Atomic Betty
  • Rekkit Rabbit
  • My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
  • Chica Vampiro
  • Boyster
  • The Boss Baby: Back in Business
  • Hotel Transylvania: The Series
  • Alvinnn!!! and the Chipmunks
  • Sadie Sparks
  • Madagascar: A Little Wild
  • Pat the Dog
  • Cry Babies: Magic Tears
  • Super Cute Little Babies
  • Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir
  • Ghostforce
  • The Unstoppable Yellow Yeti
  • Rainbow High

Programming from Playhouse Disney/Disney Jr.[]

Gallery[]

Wikipedia
 This page uses content from the English Wikipedia page Disney Channel (Spain). The list of authors can be seen in the page history. Text from Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply.
  1. ↑ https://www.mundoplus.tv/tv-digital/squirrel-compra-a-disney-el-20-de-net-tv/
  2. ↑ https://www.mundoplus.tv/tv-digital/disney-channel-prepara-su-salida-de-la-tdt/
  3. ↑ https://www.mundoplus.tv/tv-digital/disney-channel-emitira-solo-en-hd-por-tdt-desde-el-14-de-febrero/?__cf_chl_rt_tk=NnFRoyuUCpymh6zrUZU9gUGIbQJVtsirMilctyrfXyo-1708244380-0.0-3986
  4. ↑ https://www.eldiario.es/vertele/noticias/exclusiva-disney-channel-cierre-canal-adios-dejara-emitirse-espana-inicios-2025-27-anos-historia-tv_1_11851955.html
  5. ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 5.12 5.13 5.14 5.15 https://web.archive.org/web/20010417115012/http://www.plus.es/codigo/television/rejilla_dia_dia.asp?Canales=DCH
  6. ↑ 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 6.11 6.12 6.13 6.14 https://web.archive.org/web/20010712091753/http://www.plus.es/codigo/television/rejilla_dia_dia.asp?Canales=DCH
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 https://web.archive.org/web/20021105053052/http://www.csatelite.es/codigo/television/rejilla_dia_dia.asp?Canales=DCH
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 https://web.archive.org/web/20031028160749/http://www.plus.es/codigo/television/rejilla_dia_dia.asp?Canales=DCH
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 9.8 9.9 https://web.archive.org/web/20030828011836/http://www.plus.es/codigo/television/rejilla_dia_dia.asp?Canales=DCH
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 https://web.archive.org/web/20040220023253/http://www.plus.es/codigo/television/rejilla_dia_dia.asp?Canales=DCH
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 https://web.archive.org/web/19991018223951/http://www.disney.es/DisneyChannel/programas/days/19junio.html
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