Disney Channel was an Italian pay television channel that was owned and operated by
The Walt Disney Company Italy
The Walt Disney Company Italia S.r.l. (formerly called The Walt Disney Company Italia S.p.A.) is The Walt Disney Company's Italian division and one of The Walt Disney Company's European divisions. The company was founded on 8 May 1938 as Creazion ...
. It was launched on 3 October 1998, and its programming consists on original Disney Channel series (either American, European or locally produced) and third party programming acquired by the network.
Disney Channel and its timeshift ceased broadcasting on May 1, 2020 due to Disney failing to renew a deal with Sky Italy, with content moving to
Disney+
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment
Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and deligh ...
.
History
![DC 2014 hero](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f4/Disney_Channel_logo_%282014%29.svg)
On October 3, 1998, Disney Channel officially began broadcasting in Italian on
TELE+ Digitale
Tele may refer to:
* Television
* Tele (band), a German rock/pop band
* Tele Ikuru, Deputy Governor of Rivers State
* Télé, Mali, a rural commune of the Cercle of Goundam in the Tombouctou Region of Mali
* Telemarketing
* Telegraphy
* ''Eveni ...
. The channel used the slogan "Libera la tua Immaginazione" (English: "Free your imagination"). Among the first programs on the channel were Disney animated television series, such as ''
Timon & Pumbaa'' and ''
Aladdin
Aladdin ( ; ar, علاء الدين, ', , ATU 561, ‘Aladdin') is a Middle-Eastern folk tale. It is one of the best-known tales associated with ''The Book of One Thousand and One Nights'' (''The Arabian Nights''), despite not being part of ...
: The Series''. It also showed Disney films and some
Disney Channel Original Movie
Many television films have been produced for Disney Channel, an American family-oriented basic cable channel and former premium television channel since its launch on April 18, 1983. Until October 1997, films were released under the banner nam ...
s on "Il Fantastico Mondo Disney" (The Wonderful World of Disney) each evening at 20.30 (8:30 pm). A new film was shown every Saturday at the same time slot. In January 1999, Disney Channel launched its original live presentation show: ''Disney Channel Live'' (later called ''Live Zone''). In this program, hosted by Isabella Arrigoni and Massimiliano Ossini, viewers interact with the hosts and join games. Other popular programs were ''Live Zone – Musica'', ''Live Zone – Sport'', ''Live Zone – Da scoprire'', ''Live Zone – Da ridere'' and ''Una stella per te'' (A Star for You).
On November 7, 1999, Disney Channel adopted the new "Circles" logo and idents of
Disney Channel UK
Disney Channel was a British and Irish television kids channel owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company (UK) Ltd.
It was aired from 1 October 1995, to 30 September 2020. A one-hour timeshift service called Disney Channel +1 was available o ...
(created by GÉDÉON).
In 2002, Disney Channel launched two new programs: ''Quasi Gol'' and ''L'ora della magia''.
The channel had been available since 2003 on
Sky Italia
Sky Italia S.r.l. is an Italian satellite television platform owned by the American media conglomerate Comcast. Sky Italia also broadcasts three national free-to-air television channels: TV8, Cielo and Sky TG24. As of 2018, following an agree ...
, after the merger between TELE+ Digitale and
Stream TV
Stream TV was an Italian digital satellite television pay TV company launched in 1993 and closed in 2003, due to the merge with TELE+ into Sky Italia.
History
Stream S.P.A. was the service provider, a television company owned by STET. It wa ...
.
In June 2003, Disney Channel adopted the American
Disney Channel
Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Compan ...
's new logo (designed by CA Square), along with new graphics and idents.
''Live Zone'' ended in September 2003; it was replaced by ''Prime Time'', led by the hosts of ''Live Zone'', Isabella Arrigoni and Massimiliano Ossini. Even programs secondary to ''Live Zone'' were replaced by newer ones like ''
Tok'', ''
Eta Beta
The Mickey Mouse universe is a fictional shared universe which is the setting for stories involving Disney cartoon characters Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Pluto, Goofy, and many other characters. The universe originated from the ''Mickey Mouse'' an ...
'', and ''Skatenati''. Another program was added, ''Scooter''.
On December 24, 2004, Disney introduced Disney Channel +1, where all regular programs from Disney Channel are postponed an hour.
In 2006, almost all live shows were taken off air.
''Prime Time'' got a refresh in September 2005, with a new logo, new computer-generated graphics, and Arrigoni being the voice-over host who presented the programs.
In 2005, Disney Channel launched a new series called ''
Quelli dell'intervallo
''Quelli dell'intervallo'' (lit. "Those of Recess") is an Italian situation comedy produced by Disney Channel Italy. The show focuses on kids as they chat and get into unexpected situations while at a window in their school.
After Disney's suc ...
'', which led to the similar versions in the UK, US, Australia and other countries under the title ''
As the Bell Rings
''As the Bell Rings'' is a Disney Channel short franchise, based on the original Disney Channel Italian series ''Quelli dell'intervallo
''Quelli dell'intervallo'' (lit. "Those of Recess") is an Italian situation comedy produced by Disney Chan ...
''. In 2006, Disney Channel began airing many English language series from
Disney Channel
Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Compan ...
US. These versions were moved to a new channel called ''Disney in English'' in 2008.
In January 2007, ''Prime Time'' changed its logo once again, and Patrizio Prata became its new voice-over host, although the set design and cartoons remained the same. On May 14, 2007, ''Prime Time'' ended and Disney Channel adopted the "Ribbon" graphics of
Disney Channel
Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Compan ...
(US).
On December 8, 2008, Disney Channel and its +1 timeshift began broadcasting on
Mediaset Premium
Mediaset Premium was an Italian Pay television, pay TV provider owned by Mediaset. Until closure in 2019, it provided subscription TV channels and pay-per-view events (only for football matches) via the Italian digital terrestrial television net ...
.
On October 1, 2011, Disney Channel adopted new "Smartphone App" logo that was introduced in the US in 2010, and began broadcasting in the
16:9 aspect ratio area (reruns of some series still air in the
4:3 aspect ratio). On the same day, sister channel Toon Disney, which was the last one under this brand, ceased broadcasting along with its timeshift. Toon Disney and Toon Disney +1 were replaced by Disney Channel +2 and Disney XD +2.
Since February 1, 2012, Disney Channel began broadcasting in
HD on
Sky Italia
Sky Italia S.r.l. is an Italian satellite television platform owned by the American media conglomerate Comcast. Sky Italia also broadcasts three national free-to-air television channels: TV8, Cielo and Sky TG24. As of 2018, following an agree ...
.
On June 8, 2014, the channel renewed its logo and graphics like the Disney Channel US ones.
On September 30, 2016, Disney Channel and Disney Channel +1 ceased broadcasting on
Mediaset Premium
Mediaset Premium was an Italian Pay television, pay TV provider owned by Mediaset. Until closure in 2019, it provided subscription TV channels and pay-per-view events (only for football matches) via the Italian digital terrestrial television net ...
.
On May 15, 2017, the channel renewed its logo, which became two-dimensional and changed the graphics.
On April 9, 2018, timeshift channels Disney Channel +2 and Disney XD +2 were discontinued on air.
On October 1, 2019, Disney XD and Disney in English ceased broadcasting after a deal with
Sky Italia
Sky Italia S.r.l. is an Italian satellite television platform owned by the American media conglomerate Comcast. Sky Italia also broadcasts three national free-to-air television channels: TV8, Cielo and Sky TG24. As of 2018, following an agree ...
was not renewed.
On May 1, 2020, at midnight, Disney Channel, along with Disney Junior, were closed, with content moving to
Disney+
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment
Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and deligh ...
.
Related channels
Disney Channel HD
It was the high definition version of Disney Channel, launched on February 1, 2012. It was only available on the Sky Italia platform for owners of Sky Box HD.
On this version, moreover, subtitles were available (where present) in
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
and
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
.
Disney Channel +1
It was the time-shift version, launched on 24 December 2004, which re-aired the Disney Channel programs an hour later.
Disney Channel +2 (defunct)
It was the time-shift version of the Disney Channel, launched on October 1, 2011, which re-aired the programs two hours later. It was later ceased its broadcasts on 9 April 2018.
References
External links
Official site
{{Italian television stations
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
Commercial-free television networks
Defunct television channels in Italy
Children's television networks
Italian-language television stations
Television channels and stations established in 1998
Television channels and stations disestablished in 2020
1998 establishments in Italy
2020 disestablishments in Italy