DisneyNow (stylized as DisneyNOW ) is a TV Everywhere platform offered by Disney Branded Television . Replacing the individual "Watch" apps for the respective channels, the service offers programming from Disney Channel , Disney Jr , and Disney XD for subscribers to the three networks on television providers.
69-641: It launched on September 29, 2017, replacing the individual "Watch" apps that originally launched for these networks in 2012, as well as the networks' respective official websites. The mobile and digital media player apps for the platform were discontinued on September 23, 2024; service remains available via its website. Disney first launched TV Everywhere services for Disney Channel , Disney Junior , and Disney XD in June 2012—the "Watch" apps (whose branding were modeled after WatchESPN )—as part of new carriage agreements with Comcast Xfinity that included digital rights to
138-702: A National Hockey League (NHL) game—known as the Big City Greens Classic— as part of ESPN's coverage of the league . The broadcast was themed around the Disney Channel animated series Big City Greens , visualizing data from the league's player and puck tracking system with 3D animated players. Disney Jr. is a daily morning program block aimed at preschoolers, spiritually succeeding Playhouse Disney which launched on April 6, 1997, as part of Disney Channel's morning lineup. On May 26, 2010, Disney-ABC Television Group (now Walt Disney Television ) announced
207-526: A premium channel on top of basic cable television systems, it originally showcased programming towards families due to availability of home television sets locally at the time. Since 1997, as just Disney Channel , its programming has shifted focus to target mainly children and adolescents ages 6–14. The channel showcases original first-run children's television series , theatrically-released and original television films and other selected third-party programming. As of November 2023 , Disney Channel
276-431: A base of more than 611,000 subscribers by December of that year. In October 1983, the channel debuted its first made-for-cable movie, Tiger Town , which earned the channel a CableACE Award . The channel had reached profitability by January 1985, with its programming reaching 1.75 million subscribers by that point. In September 1990, TCI 's Montgomery , Alabama , system became the first cable provider to carry
345-572: A basic cable record for the single most-watched television program until December 3, 2007, when corporate sister channel, ESPN , surpassed it with the telecast of an NFL game between the New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens on its Monday Night Football programme by 0.3 million viewers more (17.5 million viewers). The Cheetah Girls media franchise was also notably successful in terms of merchandise and sales for its concert tours and soundtrack albums. Its debut film from 2003, being
414-480: A block on Animax , known as "Nick Time") and Cartoon Network (Cartoon Network's age demographic is moving towards older viewers with shows such as Hello Kitty , Regular Show and Adventure Time ) One of the most well-known children's TV programmes comes from Iceland, LazyTown , was created by Magnus Scheving , European Gymnastics Champion and CEO of Lazytown Entertainment . The show has aired in over 180 countries, been dubbed into more than 32 languages and
483-553: A cable, satellite, streaming, or internet subscription to view them on first airing." In the United States, there are three major commercial cable networks dedicated to children's television. All three also operate secondary services with specialized scopes drawing upon their respective libraries, such as a focus on specific demographics, or a focus upon classic programming that fall within their scope and demographics; all three have also extensively franchised their brands outside
552-403: A celebrity or figure from one of its programs holding a wand and drawing the then-current form of the Disney Channel logo on the screen. This celebrity will introduce their name, the program they are featured on, and finish with the line "And you're watching Disney Channel." Dubbed a 'Wand ID' by fans, this format typically ends in a variation of the mnemonic. For a period, ESPN 's broadcasts of
621-717: A few exceptions, perhaps the best-known being the Power Rangers franchise). Typically, programs are either 'for boys' or 'for girls'. The teen demographic targets viewers 12 to 18 years of age. Live-action series that target this demographic are more dramatic and developed, including teen dramas and teen sitcoms . In some cases, they may contain more mature content that is usually not permissible on shows targeting younger viewers, and can include some profanity or suggestive dialogue. Educational programming targeted at this demographic has historically been rare, other than on NASA TV 's education block. However, some programming aimed at
690-427: A localized channel feed already exists in that country. Some critics disapprove of the Disney Channel marketing strategy led by Anne Sweeney , president of the Disney Channel from 1996 to 2014. Under Sweeney, the Disney Channel's programming was geared mainly towards preteen and teenage girls, with a decrease in animated programming. Criticism was also aimed at removing almost all Walt-era and pre-1990s material from
759-451: A number of children's channels under the Pop and Tiny Pop brands. British versions of Cartoon Network and its sister channels Boomerang and Cartoonito also operate in the country, some 25 years after the initial launch. Ireland has one dedicated children's TV service RTÉjr . Since 1998 RTÉ2 has provided children's programming from 07:00 to 17:30 each weekday, originally titled The Den ,
SECTION 10
#1732858244383828-515: A premium channel at 7:00 a.m. Eastern Time on April 18, 1983, under the name The Disney Channel . The channel's development with help from its founding president Alan Wagner , and formally announced the launch of its family-oriented cable channel in early 1983. The channel – which initially maintained a 16-hour-per-day programming schedule from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific Time – would become available on cable providers in all 50 U.S. states by September 1983, and accrue
897-735: A spin-off of the Lilo & Stitch franchise that originally aired in 2017, made its American debut on DisneyNow, with twelve of the series' thirteen episodes released on the service. With the launch of the new subscription-based streaming service Disney+ on November 12, 2019, Disney began to remove library content from DisneyNow including Mickey Mouse Clubhouse , That's So Raven , The Suite Life of Zack & Cody , Phineas and Ferb , Gravity Falls , The Proud Family , and Andi Mack , as well as older and oldest seasons and episodes of shows like Raven's Home , Bunk'd , Big City Greens , and DuckTales in order to encourage subscription to
966-408: A unified library. It also included games based on programs from the three channels, a profile system, and parental controls that can lock the app to Disney Junior only. The new apps launched specifically on September 29, 2017 for Android , iOS , Apple TV , and Roku . Android TV , and Amazon Fire TV versions were released in 2018. On December 1, 2018, Chinese animated series Stitch & Ai ,
1035-502: Is High School Musical 2 , which debuted on August 17, 2007, to 17.2 million viewers and set a current longstanding record for the highest-rated television premiere in the history of the channel. Following High School Musical 2 , the movie that had the second highest-rated Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM) premiere was Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie , followed by Camp Rock , Descendants 2 , Princess Protection Program , Teen Beach Movie , and Jump In! . It also set
1104-568: Is available to approximately 70 million pay television households in the United States—down from its peak of 100 million households in 2011. The channel's international footprint , once encompassing 46 channels available in 33 languages, has also diminished in parts of Europe and most of the Asia-Pacific due to the launch of Disney+ and competition from other streaming and social media platforms. Disney Channel launched nationally as
1173-414: Is generally more overtly educational. In a number of cases, such shows are produced in consultation with educators and child psychologists in an effort to teach age-appropriate lessons (the series Sesame Street pioneered this approach when it debuted in 1969). A format that has increased in popularity since the 1990s is the " pseudo-interactive " program, in which the action of the show stops and breaks
1242-748: Is nearly as old as television itself. In the United Kingdom, the BBC 's For the Children was first broadcast in 1946, and in English-speaking circles, is generally credited with being the first TV programme specifically for children. Some authors posit television for children tended to originate from similar programs on radio. For example, the BBC's Children's Hour was launched as a radio broadcast in 1922, with BBC School Radio commencing live broadcasts in 1924. In
1311-698: Is said that the "XD" in the channel's name does not have an actual meaning. Also known by its trade name, " Disney Channel Animation ", it is the television animation production studio division of The Walt Disney Studios and based in Glendale, California , providing original animated programming for the three main Disney-branded children's channels. A live-action production studio based in Studio City, Los Angeles , California , that provides original sitcoms and comedy programs primary for Disney Channel. Despite being
1380-621: Is the most expensive children's show of all time. In 1995, Cartoon Network became the first children's channel to be launched in India. Subsequently, Disney Channel and Nickelodeon arrived. Hungama TV (2004) was the first children's channel that had local content. Pogo and BabyTV came later in 2006. By 2018, 23 channels have aired in India. Nickelodeon was the first children's channel in Romania, launched in December 1998. Afterwards, Minimax became
1449-487: Is when they stopped using the "Premiere Films" label and renamed it the " Disney Channel Original Movies " (DCOM) thereafter. The first movie to be released under the Disney Channel Original Movie category was Under Wraps , a Halloween themed movie that aired for the first time on Disney Channel on October 25, 1997. The most successful original film under the banner in terms of popularity and accolades
SECTION 20
#17328582443831518-506: The Cartoon Network , Disney Channel , Disney Junior , Disney XD , and Nickelodeon brands. WildBrain operates Family Channel , as well as the spin-off services WildBrainTV and Family Jr. it has been majority owned and operated by British Columbia's public broadcaster Knowledge Network . In French, Corus operates Télétoon and La chaîne Disney , WildBrain operates Télémagino (a French version of Family Jr.), TVA Group operates
1587-604: The FCC mandates. (The rule for digital subchannels was repealed in July 2019; in practice, most still carry educational programs anyway.) In 2017, there was a programming block that aired on syndication called KidsClick ; it was notable as a concerted effort to program children's shows on television without regard to their educational content, one of the first such efforts since the E/I rule took effect. The transition to digital television has allowed for
1656-550: The Little League World Series baseball tournament frequently featured cross-promotion with music-related Disney Channel properties, with past editions having featured collaborations with High School Musical , the Jonas Brothers , Camp Rock , and Phineas and Ferb . In March 2023, Disney Channel broadcast a live professional sporting event for the first time, carrying a youth-oriented alternate broadcast of
1725-458: The blind . This is accompanied by an on-screen mark at the beginning of certain scheduled programming indicating to viewers that the service is available. Some episodes of Gravity Falls , Austin and Ally , Good Luck Charlie , and Phineas and Ferb show the AD))) mark and a 2-tone sound repeated 3 times at the beginning of the episode to give notice of the audio description track available through
1794-405: The fourth wall to give a young viewer the opportunity to answer a question or dilemma put forth on the show, with the action continuing as if the viewer answered correctly. Shows that target the demographic of persons 6 to 11 years old focus primarily on entertainment and can range from comedic cartoons to action series. Most children's television series targeting this age range are animated (with
1863-676: The 1990s, more children's television series such as Barney & Friends , Blue's Clues , SpongeBob SquarePants , Bear in the Big Blue House , and The Big Comfy Couch were created. A voluminous range of children's television programming now exists in the 2020s. Notable successes outside the US include shows like Play School , Noggin the Nog , Clangers , Bagpuss , Teletubbies , Thunderbirds , Danger Mouse , Count Duckula , Mr. Men and Thomas & Friends originating from
1932-404: The BBC runs CBBC as well as the preschool-oriented CBeebies , while ITV runs CITV as well as the preschool-oriented LittleBe , as a programming block on ITVBe . Both channels were spun off from children's television strands on their respective flagship channels ( BBC One , BBC Two , and ITV ). The BBC and ITV have largely phased out children's programming from their main channels to focus on
2001-756: The SAP feed. Disney Junior displays the AD)) mark and the intended SAP track on newer episodes of Little Einsteins . (ABC positions this mark in the bottom-left corner of the screen.) Disney Channel has established presence in various regions across the Americas, most of Europe, the Middle East, Africa, India, and Japan. Channels were also available in Australia, New Zealand, Italy, the United Kingdom and Ireland, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, and Turkey, but ceased broadcast in
2070-452: The UK, Paw Patrol from Canada, Le Manege Enchantè from France, The Singing Ringing Tree from Germany, and Marine Boy and Pokémon from Japan. Canadian studio Nelvana is a particularly prolific producer of children's programming. Much of Nelvana's product is broadcast worldwide, especially in the US, where the similarities in dialect do not require any dubbing or localization. In
2139-445: The United States, early children's television was often co-opted as a platform to market products and it rarely contained any educational elements (for instance, The Magic Clown , a popular early children's program, was primarily an advertisement for Bonomo's Turkish taffy .) In the early years of television, advertising to children posed a dilemma as most children have no disposable income of their own. As such, children's television
DisneyNow - Misplaced Pages Continue
2208-458: The United States. Under current mandates, all broadcast television stations in the United States must show a minimum of three hours per week of educational children's programming , regardless of format. Until 2019, this rule also applied to digital subchannels ; as a result, digital multicast networks whose formats should not fit children's programming, such as Live Well Network and TheCoolTV , were required to carry educational programs to fit
2277-462: The Universe , the 1980s saw a dramatic rise in television programs featuring characters of whom toy characters were being sold to retail consumers in bricks and mortar stores, underscoring the value potential of manufacturing merchandise for fans of children's programs. This practice remains firmly embedded in the broadcast sector's business case broadly in the 2020s. Commercial-free children television
2346-456: The camera and simulate small talk with the viewing audience at home, demonstrating basic skills for the camera. This practice lives on in contemporary children's broadcasting as a genre in of itself, with Australia's ongoing program Play School one example. At one time, a program called Winky Dink and You took a more interactive approach, prompting its viewers to affix a clear vinyl sheet to their television and draw pictures to match what
2415-564: The channel also maintains rights to films from other studios. 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 currently owned by any of The Walt Disney Company's divisions. In between regularly scheduled programming and advertisement breaks, Disney Channel features bumpers . These bumpers have varied in content substantially throughout
2484-418: The channel as a basic cable service. Between 1991 and 1996, a steadily increasing number of cable providers began shifting The Disney Channel from a premium add-on offering to their basic tiers, either experimentally or on a full-time basis; however, Walt Disney Company executives denied any plans to convert the channel into an ad-supported basic service, stating that the premium-to-basic shifts on some providers
2553-613: The channel in 2002 with the removal of the late-night "Vault Disney" block devoted to this material, which used to make up the majority of the channel's programming since its inception in 1983. In 2008, Sweeney explained that Disney Channel, resulting from its multi-platform marketing strategy using television and music, would become "the major profit driver for the [Walt Disney] Company." The channel has also pulled (and sometimes re-shot) episodes that have featured subject matter deemed inappropriate for its target audience, due either to humor or to timing of real-life events. On June 13, 2023,
2622-619: The channel space held by Soapnet – a Disney-owned cable channel featuring soap operas – due to that genre's decline in popularity on broadcast television and the growth of video on demand , online streaming , and digital video recorders negating the need for a linear channel devoted to the soap opera genre. After a period during which cable providers unwilling to drop the network immediately retained it to prevent subscriber cancellations, Soapnet ceased all operations on December 31, 2013. The former Playhouse Disney block on Disney Channel rebranded as Disney Junior on February 14, 2011, along with
2691-469: The channel's various program franchises, including Kim Possible and Hannah Montana . In June 2012, The Walt Disney Company announced that it would stop advertising or promoting food or beverage products that do not meet strict nutritional guidelines. Disney Channel purportedly became the first media company to take such a stance on stopping the marketing of junk food products to kids. Due to its commercial-free format, such advertising appears only in
2760-516: The country where they air. Educational themes are also prevalent, as well as the transmission of cautionary tales and narratives that teach problem-solving methods in some fashion or another, such as social disputes. The purpose of these shows, aside from profit, is mainly to entertain or educate children, with each series targeting a certain age of child: some are aimed at infants and toddlers, some are aimed at those aged 6 to 11 years old, and others are aimed at all children. Children's television
2829-563: The cultural similarities between Canada and the US, along with film credits and subsidies available from the Canadian government, a large number of animated children's series have been made in Canada with the intention of exporting them to the United States. Such programs carry a prominent Government of Canada wordmark in their closing credits. The BBC and ITV plc both operate children's oriented television networks on digital terrestrial television:
DisneyNow - Misplaced Pages Continue
2898-498: The debut of whole subchannels that air children's programming 24/7; examples include BabyFirst , PBS Kids , Smile , and Universal Kids . The country's only directly nationally operated TV service for public consumption, NASA TV , also includes educational programs in its schedule for use in schools. English-language children's specialty channels in Canada are primarily owned by Corus Entertainment and WildBrain . Corus operates YTV and Treehouse , as well as localized versions of
2967-629: The dedicated services; in 2012, as part of the "Delivering Quality First" initiative, the BBC announced that it would end the broadcast of CBBC programmes on BBC One following the completion of the transition to digital terrestrial television, citing low viewership in comparison to broadcasts of the programmes on the CBBC channel. Channel 5 also broadcasts a preschool-oriented block known as Milkshake! , while its owner, Paramount Networks International , also runs versions of Nickelodeon and its sister networks Nicktoons and Nick Jr. Narrative Capital operate
3036-534: The demographic has had some tangential educational value in regard to social issues, such as the now-defunct TNBC block of sitcoms, which often tackled issues such as underage drinking or drug use. According to at least one journalist, for years, Broadcast Standards and Practices departments of networks, Parental Guidelines , and campaigns by social conservatives limited "efforts to make kids animation more inclusive." One former executive of Disney, David Levine, said that "a lot of conservative opinion" drove what
3105-459: The early 1930s, radio adventure serials such as Little Orphan Annie began to emerge in the United States and became a staple of children's afternoon radio listening. Early children's shows included Kukla, Fran and Ollie (1947), Howdy Doody , and Captain Kangaroo . Another show, Ding Dong School , aired from 1952 to 1965. Its creator and host, Frances Horwich , would sit in front of
3174-519: The early 2020s, with most content moving to Disney+ or Disney+ Hotstar . On December 14, 2022, Disney ceased its distribution of programs in Russia in response to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine . Disney Channel also licenses its programming to air on certain other broadcast and cable channels outside the United States (formerly including Family Channel in Canada), regardless of whether or not
3243-575: The existing international channels. Disney-ABC Television Group once planned to launch a Playhouse Disney Channel in the United States in 2001, however it never happened despite launching internationally. Launched on February 13, 2009, as the successor to Toon Disney, Disney XD is a cable and satellite television channel which was originally aimed at young male audiences aged 6 to 14, but has since included girls in its programming. The channel showcases action and comedy programming from Disney Channel and
3312-574: The expansion of the block in to a 24/7 cable and satellite channel which debuted on March 23, 2012. The channel would be commercial-free channel and compete with other preschooler-skewing cable channels such as the Nick Jr. Channel and Sprout (now Universal Kids ). The channel features programs from Disney Channel's existing preschool programming library and films/movies from the Walt Disney Pictures film library. On its launch, Disney Junior took over
3381-895: The first Disney Channel original musical television film, premiered to over 84 million global viewers and its sequel premiered to 8.1 million American viewers and in the process became the most successful of the film series. An 86-date concert tour featuring the eponymous girl group was ranked as one of the top 10 concert tours of 2006, smashing the record at the Houston Rodeo previously set by Elvis Presley in 1973, selling out with 73,500 tickets in three minutes at one point. In addition to its original television films, Disney Channel has rights to theatrically released feature films, with some film rights shared with sister network, Freeform . Alongside films released by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures (mainly consisting of releases from Walt Disney Pictures , Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar ),
3450-469: The form of underwriter sponsorships during promotional breaks. On July 1, 2012, Disney Channel began providing Descriptive Video Service audio in compliance with the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010, which required network owned-and-operated stations and affiliates in the 25 largest television markets as well as the five highest-rated cable and satellite channels (including Disney Channel) to offer audio descriptions for
3519-414: The former Jetix block from Toon Disney, alongside some first-run original programming and off-network syndicated shows. Disney XD, unlike its sister channels Disney Channel and Disney Junior, operates as an ad-supported service, similar to its predecessor Toon Disney. The channel carries the same name as an unrelated mini-site and media player on Disney.com , which stood for Disney Xtreme Digital , though it
SECTION 50
#17328582443833588-981: The highest number of LGBTQ characters they ever recorded up to that point. In 2017, some said that LGBTQ+ characters in animated television were somewhat rare, despite the fact that GLAAD praised the number of characters in broadcast and primetime television. From 2017 to 2019, Insider noted that there was a "more than 200% spike in queer and gender-minority characters in children's animated TV shows." In 2018 and 2019, GLAAD stated that Amazon , Hulu , and Netflix, had increased LGBTQ representation in "daytime kids and family television." In their January 2021 report, GLAAD praised LGBTQ representation in episodes of DuckTales , The Owl House and Adventure Time: Distant Lands . Despite this, some industry practitioners state that more than 90% of LGBTQ characters in kid's animated shows within Insider 's database of characters in children's animated television shows "require either
3657-476: The history of the channel, created using a broad array of artistic methods such as traditional animation , digital animation , claymation , live action , and puppeteering . They have been praised for their high quality composition and ingenuity. However, they became especially iconic in September 2002, when Disney Channel underwent a major rebranding, including in its bumpers and logo. These bumpers highlighted
3726-504: The iconic 'mouse ears' logo throughout them, featuring various videos that culminated in both the appearance of the logo, alongside a newly introduced theme song, which is regarded as its most recognizable and is still used to this day. This theme song consists of a four-note mnemonic jingle composed by the late Alex Lasarenko, former executive of Tonal Sounds and creative director at Elias Arts . In addition to its logo and jingle, Disney Channel's most recognizable bumper format consists of
3795-513: The networks turned to affiliated cable cartoon channels or outside programmers for their blocks. On September 27, 2014, the last traditional Saturday network morning cartoon block, Vortexx , ended and was replaced the following week by the syndicated One Magnificent Morning on The CW . Children's television series can target a wide variety of key demographics based on age and gender. Few television networks target infants and toddlers under two years of age. Preschool-oriented programming
3864-474: The opening sequence of the series Primos , which premiered on the Disney Channel in July 2024, was released by Disney Branded Television , with a mixed reception to the sequence on social media , including from Latinos and Mexicans . Some viewers argued that the sequence had various negative stereotypes , complained about names of some characters, and claimed the Spanish pronunciation of some characters in
3933-645: The preschool-oriented Yoopa , and Bell Media runs the teen-oriented Vrak . Via its majority-owned subsidiary Telelatino , Corus also operates two children and family-oriented networks in Spanish and Italian, TeleNiños and Telebimbi respectively. On broadcast television and satellite to cable undertakings, children's television content is relegated to the country's public and designated provincial educational broadcasters, including CBC Television and Ici Radio-Canada Télé , as well as City Saskatchewan , CTV Two Alberta (formerly Access), Knowledge Network , Télé-Québec , TFO , and TVOntario ( TVOKids ). Aided by
4002-634: The prime production source of Disney Channel shows, many of its projects are still co-produced and financed by The Walt Disney Company . Walt Disney EMEA Productions Limited is the network's European production studio located in London , England, which co-produces original programs within Europe alongside other companies. Disney Original Documentary is a banner from Disney Branded Television for documentary -based programs broadcast on Disney Channel and released on Disney+. In 2010, Disney Channel All Star Party
4071-399: The programming of Disney's cable channels via authenticated streaming. In February of 2017, during upfronts presentations for its children's channels, Disney announced that the individual Watch Disney Channel, Watch Disney Junior, and Watch Disney XD apps would be replaced by a new service known as DisneyNow; the service integrated the three channels' content, along with Radio Disney , into
4140-443: The sequence was incorrect. Children%27s television series Children's television series (or children's television shows ) are television programs designed specifically for children . They are typically characterised by easy-going content devoid of sensitive or adult themes and are normally broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake, immediately before and after school schedules generally start in
4209-701: The service was renamed TRTÉ and RTÉjr in 2010. Irish-language service TG4 provide two strands of children's programming Cúla 4 Na nÓg and Cúla 4 during the day. Commercial broadcaster TV3 broadcast a children's strand called Gimme 3 from 1998 to 1999. And then broadcast a new strand called 3Kids . Children's channels that exist in Australia are ABC Family , ABC Kids , and its spin-off CBeebies , Nickelodeon and its spin-off Nick Jr. , and Cartoon Network and its spin-off Boomerang . Children's channels that exist in Japan are NHK Educational TV , Kids Station , Disney Channel , Disney XD , Nickelodeon (also under
SECTION 60
#17328582443834278-457: The service. On August 24, 2024, Disney began notifying customers that it would discontinue the mobile and digital media player apps for DisneyNow, as well as ABC , Freeform , FX , and National Geographic , along with DisneyNOW, effective September 23. TV Everywhere content will still be available via their respective websites. It was suggested to be a move to discourage use of the services in favor of Disney+ and Hulu . On October 18, 2024, it
4347-520: Was announced that the games section on the DisneyNOW website would be removed on November 14, 2024. Disney Channel Disney Channel is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television , a unit of the Disney Entertainment division of The Walt Disney Company . Launched on April 18, 1983, under the name The Disney Channel as
4416-420: Was depicted on Cartoon Network , Disney Channel , and other alike channels. Some argued that cable television, which began to pick up in the 1990s, "opened the door for more representation" even though various levels of approvals remained. Through the 2000s', advocacy group GLAAD repeatedly highlighted the lack of LGBT representation in children's programming in particular. Two years later, they recorded
4485-481: Was first introduced with Sesame Street on PBS in November 1969. It was produced by what is now known as Sesame Workshop (formerly Children's Television Workshop, known as CTW). In the United States, Saturday mornings were generally scheduled with cartoons from the 1960s to 1980s. In 1992, teen comedies and a "Today" show weekend edition were first to displace the cartoon blocks on NBC. Starting in September 2002,
4554-586: Was going on on-screen. This format did not persist, nor was it replicated, due to a number of factors unrelated to its popularity: children whose parents did not buy them the vinyl sheet would draw with crayons directly on the television screen itself, potentially causing expensive damage; there were also concerns that having children within arm's length of a television screen of the era could expose them to harmful radiation. Later and more recognisably modern shows for young children include Sesame Street , The Electric Company and Mister Rogers' Neighborhood . In
4623-582: Was not a particularly high priority for the networks. This practice continued in a toned-down manner through the 1980s in the United States after the Federal Communications Commission prohibited tie-in advertising on broadcast television. These regulations did not apply to cable, which remains out of the reach of the FCC's content regulations. Due in part to the success of He-Man and the Masters of
4692-474: Was part of a five-year "hybrid" strategy that allowed providers to offer the channel in either manner. On April 6, 1997, the channel officially rebranded as Disney Channel , although occasionally marketed as " Disney " from 1997 to 2002. Television films have also been produced for broadcast on Disney Channel since its launch under the banner of Disney Channel Premiere Films , with the first film released being Tiger Town in 1983, until October 1997, which
4761-520: Was released for the Nintendo Wii . The four-player mascot party game, in which the stages resemble board games , features characters from Disney Channel programs such as Sonny with a Chance , Wizards of Waverly Place , and JONAS L.A. Several video games based on the Disney Channel animated series Phineas and Ferb were released by Disney Interactive Studios . The Disney Channel website also featured various Flash games incorporating characters from
#382617