On 17 January, the Disney Channel will launch for the first time on free TV. Disney presented the most important information about the program of the new offshoot today, Thursday, in Hamburg. Two things are clear: the viewers can look forward to numerous premieres and the competition must dress warmly.
It has been known for months that the Disney Channel will switch to free TV next year. The launch on the previous Das Vierte programme channel is scheduled for 17 January. Today, Thursday, Disney revealed more details about the planned program of the free TV spin-off for the first time in Hamburg.
The programme
The channel is supposed to score points – how could it be otherwise – above all with top-class series and films of the parent company Disney. During the week, the channel’s prime time will be dominated by series. Formats such as “Switched at Birth” (ABC Family), “Baby Daddy” (ABC Family), “Miranda” (BBC), “Grand Hotel” (Bambú Producciones), “The Neighbors” (ABC), “New in Paradise” (ABC Family) and “Cedar Cove” (Hallmark Channel) with Andie MacDowel are to celebrate their free TV premiere on the new Disney Channel and appeal primarily to a female audience.
On Friday and Saturday evening, some of Disney’s and Disney Pixar’s big annimation pearls will cast their spell over the audience. “Aristocats”, “Ratatouille”, “Wall E” and “Susi und Strolch” are just a few of the well-known names that should be familiar to young and old. There should be a comeback for the “Muppet Show”. The family show “Family Time” and the reality format “100 days of being nice” will also find a place in the station’s evening program.
In the daily programme, the channel is primarily aimed at younger viewers. New sitcoms and new episodes of proven formats will be the highlights. Disney has named series such as “Jessie”, “Austin & Ally” or “My Sister Charlie” as well as animation series such as “Phineas und Ferb”, “Jake und die Nimmerland Piraten” or “Micky Maus Wunderhaus”. The animation series “Welcome to Gravity Falls” celebrates its free TV premiere.
The new telenovela “Violetta” is also scheduled to start in spring 2014. Announced as the first “telenovela for tweens”, the series is about the young heroine of the same name who returns to her home country Argentina with her father and gradually discovers her musical and acting talent in the famous Studio 21. All in all, in the first six months alone, the organizer wants to show over 450 premiere episodes of various series during the day. For the competition from Super RTL, KiKa, RiC and Co., the Disney Channel is likely to be quite a tough challenge. By the way, Disney has already provided a first program trailer for the new channel on its homepage.
“With the new Disney Channel, we are bringing the Disney brand home to our fans and viewers,” says Lars Wagner, Vice President and General Manager, Disney Channels GSA, about the channel. The positioning of the new free TV channel is unique among Disney channels worldwide.
The new channel will be available to the vast majority of German TV viewers from the very start. Since the Disney Channel will take over the broadcasting slot of Das Vierte on 17 January, the channel will also inherit the transmission capacities of this channel. According to the organizer, this means a reach of 93 percent of German TV households already at the start. While the channel transmits horizontally via satellite via the frequency 12 461 MHz (DVB-S, symbol rate SR 27 500, error correction FEC 3/4), most cable viewers will also be able to watch the new Disney Channel without problems. The largest providers Kabel Deutschland, Unitymedia Kabel BW, Tele Columbus and Primacom are also on board, as is Deutsche Telekom’s Entertain platform. An independent livestream of the channel will also be available. The network operator Kabel Deutschland provided initial information on a possible HD derivative on Thursday.
The pay-TV version of the Disney Channel, which can be received via Sky among others, will be switched off in the course of the switch to free TV. The switch-off will take place on 29 November. During the Christmas season, viewers will have to do without a Disney Channel.