Disney Channel (Indian TV channel)

Disney Channel is an Indian pay television channel operated by Star India, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company India. The channel is the Indian equivalent to the original American network and was launched on 17 December 2004.[2] Disney Channel is available as a pay-TV channel on most subscription TV providers. The channel is based in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

Disney Channel
CountryIndia
Broadcast areaIndia
Maldives[1]
Nepal
HeadquartersMumbai, India
Programming
Language(s)Hindi
Tamil
Telugu
English
Picture format576i (4:3 SDTV)
Ownership
OwnerStar India (Disney India)
ParentDisney Channel
Sister channelsStar Plus
Asianet
Disney International HD
Disney Junior
Marvel HQ
History
Launched17 December 2004 (2004-12-17)
Links
Websitedisneychannel.disney.in
Availability
Cable
HathwayChannel 410
Asianet DigitalChannel 329
Satellite
Tata SkyChannel 658
Dish TVChannel 977
Reliance Digital TVChannel 603
Airtel Digital TVChannel 458
Sun DirectChannel 522
Videocon d2hChannel 505
DishHome(Nepal)Channel 805

The channel became the fifth most watched kids channel across all genres with TRP as of October 2020.[3]

History

Before the launch of the channel, a Disney-branded programming block used to air on Sony TV, known as "Disney Hour" and "Disney Mornings".

On 17 December 2004, Toon Disney and Disney Channel launched in India.

On January 2, 2020, Star India announced HD version of Disney Channel India, It was planned to launch on 1 March 2020,[4] however it has been postponed and no new launch date was given.[5]

Disney Junior
Main article: Disney Junior (Indian TV channel)

Playhouse Disney started airing in 2006, as a block on Disney Channel. On 4 July 2011, it was replaced by Disney Junior, which eventually became available as 24-hour channel.[6][7]

Disney International HD

In 2011, Disney Channel India stopped airing American live action series and movies. On 5 October 2017 The Walt Disney Company India officially announced the launch of Disney International HD on 29 October 2017 bringing back live action Disney Channel originals to India showcasing content such as Austin & Ally, K.C. Undercover, Liv and Maddie, Hannah Montana as well as Disney Channel Original Movies such as Teen Beach, Descendants.[8]

Marvel HQ
Main article: Marvel HQ

On 20 January 2019 Marvel HQ was launched replacing the Indian version of Disney XD. Marvel HQ telecasts shows from Marvel Entertainment and some Non-Marvel shows.

Hungama TV
Main article: Hungama TV

Hungama TV was launched on 26 September 2004. It was originally a subsidiary of UTV Software Communications but in 2006, it was brought by The Walt Disney Company India. The programming lineup mainly consists of Japanese and Indian animated shows.

Programming
Main article: List of programmes broadcast by Disney Channel (India)
See also: Disney Channel India Original Series

At first, the programming of the channel consisted of Disney's original shows imported from the US, such as Lizzie McGuire, That's So Raven, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, Hannah Montana, Wizards of Waverly Place, Sonny with a Chance, The Suite Life on Deck, Jonas LA and Phineas and Ferb.

In 2006, the channel launched its first locally produced series called Vicky Aur Vetaal. Since then, the network's programming consisted of even more local productions such as Agadam Bagdam Tigdam, Dhoom Machaao Dhoom, Break Time Masti Time, Kya Mast Hai Life, and Ishaan.

In 2010, an Indian version of Art Attack was produced and broadcast. Doraemon, a show that airs on sister channel Hungama TV, started to be aired on the channel in 2010. Most of the Doraemon movies have also been aired on the channel.

In 2011, Disney Channel encountered a major programming change, with new international live action series and movies not premiering on the channel. Doraemon slowly took up most of the channel's time slots (which continues to do so in current times), and Disney Channel would produce local adaptations of international live action series. The first local adaptation, Best of Luck Nikki premiered on 3 April 2011. The Disney Channel Original Movie, Phineas and Ferb Across the 2nd Dimension premiered on the channel on 25 September 2011.[9] 2012 saw the 2nd local adaptation, The Suite Life of Karan and Kabir to air on the channel on 8 April.[10] as well as the first Disney Channel India Original Movie, Luck Luck Ki Baat.[11] In June 2014, Disney Channel India launched their first local animated series, Arjun Prince of Bali.[12]

On 10 April 2012, Disney Channel rebranded the logo into a smartphone app logo used internationally and US.

The channel rebranded on 17 December 2014 with the new logo used internationally, with the exception of the logo colour being purple instead of blue, and had a strategy of showing family oriented shows in the weekend. The weekend strategy was called "Shanivaar, Ravivaar only for Parivaar".[13] The family shows started airing on 31 January 2015. In early 2016 the channel stopped producing local live action shows, and decided to focus on local animation instead as animated shows drive better ratings.[14] On 1 May 2018, it changed its logo colour to blue, as used internationally. On the same month the channel launched Simple Samosa and Big Hero 6 The Series.[15] On 1 October 2018 DuckTales reboot premiered in India.[16]

In 2019 the channel continued to launch local animation and international shows from the Disney library such as Oye Golu, Bhaagam Bhaag, Amphibia, Big City Greens and Super V. The Descendants trilogy premiered on Disney Channel in December 2019.[17]

In Summer 2020, Disney Channel launched new shows such as Mira, Royal Detective, Bapu and Guddu, along with new episodes of shows like Chacha Chaudhary, Doraemon, and Selfie with Bajrangi.[18] The channel launched a DIY show called Imagine That on 6 September 2020.[19] No new content from the Disney Channel international library was aired in 2020.

The channel in recent times very rarely airs original animated content from the US as local and Japanese content are more popular with the Indian audiences. Due to high popularity of Doraemon, it is scheduled most of the time on the channel (despite not being a Disney show) to maintain high viewership.[20]

Controversy

The Government of Bangladesh banned the Indian feeds of Disney Channel and Disney XD in February 2013 as the show Doraemon was being broadcast continuously throughout the day in Hindi.[21]

A lawmaker in Pakistan demanded a ban on the cartoon as a whole over fears that it might have a negative impact on children.[22] Similar concerns were raised in India by the Broadcasting Content Complaints Council (BCCC) of IBF.[23]

In Bhutan, the channel was removed due to most of its programming being aired in Hindi rather than in English. This was part of a uniformity plan.[24]

See also

References
  1. "Dhiraagu TV launches four Disney channels in the Maldives". Corporate Maldives. 29 December 2017. Archived from the original on 11 January 2018. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  2. "Disney channels to be available in four languages". 14 December 2004. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  3. "Nickelodeon becomes highest viewership in India".
  4. "Star India to launch 4 new channels, rebrand Movies OK". Indian Television Dot Com. 4 January 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  5. "Star India postpones Disney HD launch". AnimationXpress. 11 April 2020. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  6. "Disney Channel to make entry into Tamil and Telugu via pre-school block". Indian Television Dot Com. 29 June 2011.
  7. "Walt Disney launches its 4th offering Disney Junior". www.afaqs.com. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  8. "Disney to launch English GEC HD on 29 Oct". Indian Television Dot Com. 5 October 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  9. "Disney Channel's "perry-fect" Gift To India This Festive Season - Brothers Phineas And Ferb Set To Thrill Fans With Disney Channel Original Movie 'across The 2nd Dimension'". Disney India. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  10. "Disney embarks on its most aggressive summer in India yet - Exchange4media". Indian Advertising Media & Marketing News – exchange4media. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  11. "Disney aims to woo kids with 500 hours of fresh content this summer". afaqs!. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  12. "Will this 'Arjun' hit the bullseye? - AnimationXpress". www.animationxpress.com. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  13. "Disney Channel hopes to get the family in". www.afaqs.com. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  14. "Focusing on local animation, Disney moves away from live-action shows". Television Post. 18 April 2016. Archived from the original on 29 July 2017. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  15. "Big Hero 6: The Series on Disney Channel India". 21 May 2018.
  16. "Singer-composer Shaan Teams Up With Son For DuckTales". Outlook India. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  17. "Disney Descendants Hindi Promo | Trilogy on Disney Channel India - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  18. Delhi, BestMediaInfo Bureau; April 17; 2020. "Disney India's kids' channels bring 100 hours of fresh content for a fun summer". www.bestmediaifo.com. Retrieved 2 June 2020.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  19. "Can you Imagine That on Disney Channel India?". Indian Television Dot Com. 28 August 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  20. "Children's TV In India: The Role Of The Walt Disney Company In The Local Production Ecology". research.usc.edu.au. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  21. "Govt slaps ban on Hindi-dubbed Doraemon telecast". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  22. "Pakistan lawmaker calls for Doraemon ban to be fully implemented". 30 December 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  23. "Broadcast regulator wakes up to Doraemon kid mind jammer". The Times of India. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  24. "BICMA approves 56 channels for uniformity – KuenselOnline". www.kueopnselonline.com. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
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