Disney XD

Disney XD is an American multinational pay television channel owned by the Disney Branded Television unit of Walt Disney General Entertainment Content through The Walt Disney Company. The channel is aimed primarily at children ages 6–15.

This article is about the American channel. For channels in other countries, see List of Disney XD TV channels.

Disney XD
CountryUnited States
Broadcast areaNational
International
HeadquartersBurbank, California, U.S.
Programming
Language(s)English
Spanish (via SAP audio track)
Picture format720p HDTV
(downscaled to center cut 480i for the SDTV feed)
Ownership
OwnerDisney Branded Television
(Disney General Entertainment Content)[1]
Sister channels
History
LaunchedFebruary 13, 2009 (2009-02-13)
ReplacedToon Disney
Links
WebcastWatch live
Websitedisneynow.com/all-shows
Availability
Cable
SpectrumChannel 87 (SD)
Channel 778 (HD)
CablevisionChannel 127 (HD)
Satellite
DirecTVChannel 292 (HD)
Channel 1292 (VOD)
Dish NetworkChannel 174
C bandAMC 11 - Channel 45 (4DTV Digital)
AMC 18 - Channel 13 (H2H 4DTV)
IPTV
AT&T TV
Channel 292 (HD)
Verizon FiOSChannel 251 (SD)
Channel 781 (HD)
Channel 1722 (Spanish feed)
XfinityChannel 135 (SD)
Channel 877 (HD)
Google FiberChannel 428 (HD)
Streaming media
Sling TV, YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, fuboTV

Disney XD's programming consists of original first-run television series, current and former original series and made-for-TV films inherited from sister network Disney Channel, theatrically-released films, and acquired programs from other distributors, along with a primetime block of programming involving competitive gaming.

The channel offers an alternate Spanish-language audio feed, either via a separate channel with the English track removed as part of a package of Spanish-language television networks sold by subscription providers or a separate audio track accessible through the SAP option, depending on the provider.

As of January 2016, Disney XD is available to 77.5 million households in the United States.[2]

History
Disney XD logo used from 2009 to 2015

Disney XD was launched on February 13, 2009 at 12:00 a.m. Eastern Time, with the Phineas and Ferb episode "Dude, We're Getting the Band Back Together" being the first show to air on the channel. The channel debuted its first original series, Aaron Stone, at 7:00 p.m. New animated series included in the channel's initial lineup were Kid vs. Kat and Jimmy Two-Shoes.[3]

The network took over the channel space of Toon Disney, an animation-focused channel that debuted on April 18, 1998, which eventually launched a live-action/animation block called Jetix in 2004. Jetix channels outside of the United States were relaunched under the Disney XD banner starting with the France-based service on April 1, 2009.[4] Many of the channel's programs – particularly animated series – previously aired on Toon Disney, mainly as part of the Jetix programming block, which ran on Toon Disney until that channel's shutdown. Disney XD carries the same name as an unrelated mini-site and media player on Disney.com, which stood for Disney Xtreme Digital,[5] though it has been stated that the "XD" in the channel's name does not have an actual meaning.

The channel's first original television movie, Skyrunners, premiered on November 27, 2009.[6] On April 1, 2012, Disney XD launched a block called "Marvel Universe", as a result of Disney's 2009 acquisition of Marvel Entertainment.[7] By June 2014, Disney XD agreed to a multi-picture development deal with Two 4 the Money and MarVista Entertainment with MarVista having global rights.[8]

On November 17, 2016, it was announced that the Pokémon anime series would be moving to Disney XD from its previous broadcaster, Cartoon Network. The twentieth season, Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon, was the first season to air and was first broadcast as a sneak peek on December 5, 2016. Pokémon began its regular broadcast on May 12, 2017.[9]

On August 12, 2017, Disney XD premiered a reboot of DuckTales.[10] In 2018, through a series of promos and news announcements, Disney announced that four of Disney XD's original series (those being Star vs. the Forces of Evil, Milo Murphy's Law, DuckTales, and Big Hero 6: The Series) would be moving their premieres over to Disney Channel, while Disney XD would continue to air re-runs.[11][12]

Programming
See also: List of programs broadcast by Disney XD and List of Disney Channel series § Disney XD original series

Disney XD's schedule consists largely of animated and live-action programs aimed at pre-teens and young teenagers. Disney XD content is a mixture of original series as well as programs inherited from sister network Disney Channel. In addition to full-length live-action and animated original series, the channel also debuts short series similar to those seen on Disney Channel during commercial breaks (such as Two More Eggs), which serve as filler for programs scheduled to end during the half-hour and last usually around one to three minutes.

New episodes of original series are usually aired at 7:00AM (ET). In addition, Disney XD airs original made-for-TV movies from Disney Channel and theatrically released feature films, but unlike Disney Channel, Disney XD typically does not air these movies in prime time; instead, films generally air during the early evening hours at 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time with double features airing a few times a week.

Unlike Disney Channel (and similarly, fellow sister network Disney Junior)—whose advertising comes in the form of program promotions, underwriter sponsorships, and interstitials for Disney films, home video, and game releases produced by the channel[13]—Disney XD operates as an advertiser-supported service running traditional television commercials in addition to promotions for the channel's shows.

Sports

The channel also airs a youth-oriented "plays of the week" countdown segment called SportsCenter High-5, which is produced by ESPN's SportsCenter and airs periodically between shows. On January 27, 2019, the 2019 Pro Bowl aired on Disney XD, with the event becoming the first long-form sporting event that the network ever aired (it was also simulcast on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and ABC).

Current

Other blocks
  • Randomation Animation – Randomation Animation was a morning animation block on Saturdays from 8:30 to 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time, which debuted on July 13, 2013. Programs featured in the block include Packages from Planet X, Camp Lakebottom, Max Steel, Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja, and Phineas and Ferb Musical Cliptastic Countdown.[18]
  • Animacation – Animacation was a morning animation block and programming stunt used in the summer of 2014 to advertise new episodes of original animated programming, as well as the premieres of Doraemon: Gadget Cat from the Future and The 7D.
  • D | XP – a prime-time block that featured video gaming-related programming aimed at teens; the block was introduced on July 15, 2017, and ran from 9:00 p.m. to. 3:00 a.m. Eastern Time. The block draws upon resources from sister properties, such as the Disney-owned multi-channel network Maker Studios (who produced the weekly Polaris Primetime, and curates content from its member personalities for other programming on the block), ESPN (for e-sports coverage), and Vice Media's Waypoint, as well as outside producers and sources such as IGN.[19] On July 16, DXP presented coverage of the finals of the Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Street Fighter V tournaments at Evo 2017, complementing coverage of the event across ESPN networks and Twitch.[20][21][22] On July 11, 2018, ESPN announced a multi-year deal with Blizzard Entertainment to air Overwatch League matches on ABC, Disney XD (as a part of the D | XP block) and the ESPN networks, beginning with the 2018 playoffs.[23]
Service Description
Disney XD HDDisney XD HD is a high definition simulcast of the Disney XD channel that broadcasts in the 720p resolution; the HD feed launched with the standard definition feed of the channel on February 13, 2009. Disney XD's original programming is produced and broadcast in HD, along with feature films, Disney Channel original movies made after 2005 and select episodes, films and series produced before 2009. The HD feed is carried through most providers, excluding Dish.
Disney XD On DemandDisney XD On Demand is the channel's video-on-demand service, offering select episodes of Disney XD's original series and certain acquired programs to pay television providers.
DisneyNOWOn September 28, 2017, the Disney Channel app was relaunched as DisneyNOW, which combines the apps of Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD and Radio Disney into one universal app featuring access to all four services. The Disney XD app was discontinued on February 15, 2018.[24]
Former services
Disney XD AppFormerly known as "WATCH Disney XD" until a June 2016 rebranding, the mobile app and digital media player apps for Disney XD offer live and on-demand streaming of Disney XD content online. These apps require users to authenticate with a login from a participating television service provider for access to live video or the newest episodes of a series, though a limited selection of free episodes also are available without a login. The app closed on February 15, 2018.

International channels
See also: List of Disney XD TV channels

Disney XD, similarly born of a merger between Jetix and Toon Disney,[25][26][27] was formerly available around the world. Most of the international Disney XD networks closed down through late 2019 and into 2020 due to the launch of Disney+, which allows the Walt Disney Company to retain the most profit for its content compared to a traditional wireline network where it shared proceeds with its providers. Disney also lost the burden of scheduling a full-week network, as streaming providers have proven to do much better with young audiences than cable channels.

On 6 January 2019, Disney XD closed down in Australia and New Zealand with programs moving to Disney Channel for that network's last year before its content was subsumed into Disney+. In India, the channel was rebranded as Marvel HQ on January 9, 2019. On October 1, 2019 Disney XD closed in Italy following the non-renewal of its Sky carriage agreement.[28]

The Spanish and German versions were closed on 1 April 2020, followed by France's network a week later. XD in Singapore closed on 31 May,[29] then the UK & Ireland and continental Africa domestic feeds on 1 October.[30][31] 2020 finished with the southeast Asian and Scandanavian feeds closing on 31 December.

By the end of January 2021, the channel is only available in the Western Hemisphere as a full-time network, with the Netherlands airing the channel as a time-share with Veronica TV.[32]

See also

References
  1. Low, Elaine (November 10, 2020). "Disney Reorganizes TV and Streaming Content Units Under Peter Rice". Variety. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  2. "Cable Network Coverage Area Household Universe Estimates: January 2016". Archived from the original on October 14, 2016.
  3. Haugsted, Linda (January 7, 2009). "Disney XD Unwraps on Friday the 13th (Archive)". MultiChannel News. Archived from the original on June 16, 2011. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
  4. "French Jetix becomes Disney XD". Broadband TV News. February 16, 2009.
  5. Disney to offer safe social site for kids, Chicago Tribune (via HighBeam Research), January 17, 2007.
  6. Moody, Annemarie (April 7, 2009). "Production Begins on Disney XD's Skyrunners, Weta Handles Creatures". Animation World Network. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
  7. Truitt, Brian (March 7, 2012). "'Ultimate Spider-Man' leads Disney XD's new superhero series". AZ Central. Gannett. USA TODAY. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
  8. Cummins, Julianna (June 25, 2014). "MarVista strikes multi-pic development deal with Disney XD". Kidscreen. Brunico Communications Ltd. Playback Online. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
  9. Barder, Ollie. "'Pokémon Sun And Moon' Anime Is Released On Disney XD This December". Forbes. Archived from the original on November 19, 2016. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
  10. "Disney Is Reviving 'DuckTales'!". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
  11. https://deadline.com/2018/02/disney-channel-renews-star-vs-the-forces-of-evil-announces-amphibia-owl-house-1202300438/
  12. https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/rebooted-ducktales-moves-to-disney-channel-with-trailer-for-new-episodes
  13. Now that Duff's had enough...: is it time for Disney Channel to cash in and rethink no-ads strategy?, Daily Variety, June 6, 2003. Retrieved April 15, 2013.
  14. Anime Block: Pokémon, Beyblade, Yo-kai Watch. YouTube.com: Disney XD. February 24, 2017. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  15. "Split screens and exaggerated expressions mean only one thing - the Anime Block is coming to Disney XD this Saturday". Twitter. Disney XD. February 17, 2017. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
  16. "'Ultimate Spider-Man' Cartoon to Kick Off Disney XD Marvel Programming Block April 1". ComicsAlliance. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
  17. "Marvel Calls "Avengers Assemble" On DisneyXD". May 23, 2013. Archived from the original on September 27, 2013. Retrieved June 9, 2013.
  18. Wolfe, Jennifer (July 12, 2013). "Disney XD Kicks Off 'Randomation' Block". Animation World Network. Retrieved August 5, 2014.
  19. Lafayette, Jon (June 14, 2017). "Disney XD Set to Launch Gamer Programming Block". Broadcasting & Cable. NewBay Media. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  20. Kim, Matt. "Disney XD Will Air the Super Smash Bros. Finals". USgamer. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  21. Casey. "Disney XD Will Be Airing The Super Smash Bros. Wii U Finals From EVO 2017". Siliconera. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  22. Beck, Kellen. "Disney is bringing esports to TV this weekend". Mashable. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  23. "Overwatch League comes to ESPN, Disney and ABC". ESPN. July 11, 2018. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  24. Steinberg, Brian (February 28, 2017). "As 'Kids' Upfront' Kicks Off, Disney Woos Madison Avenue – Variety". Variety. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
  25. Briel, Robert (February 16, 2009). "French Jetix becomes Disney XD". Broadband TV News. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
  26. Chmielewski, Dawn C. (August 7, 2008). "Enough with the girls, tween boys get their own brand of Disney love". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 25, 2014.
  27. [https//:www.thefreelibrary.com/Benjamin's+buttons.+Disneys+global+boss+hit+the+right+keys.-a0210520144 "Benjamin's buttons. Disneys global boss hit the right keys"] Check |url= value (help). VideoAge International. TV Trade Media, Inc. October 1, 2009. Retrieved April 9, 2014 – via The Free Library.
  28. https://www.dday.it/redazione/32502/sky-tv-famiglia-canali-fox-disney-xd
  29. "Astro's kids offering gets a makeover!". Astro. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  30. =https://deadline.com/2020/06/disney-to-close-kids-channels-in-the-uk-following-launch-of-disney-1202969592/amp/
  31. https://teeveetee.blogspot.com/2020/09/going-dark-on-dstv-disneys-fox-life-and.html?m=1
  32. https://whatsondisneyplus.com/disney-xd-to-close-down-in-japan/
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