Disney-ABC Television Group
Encyclopedia
Disney-ABC Television Group (also known as Disney Television Group) manages all of The Walt Disney Company
's worldwide entertainment and news television properties. The group includes the ABC Television Network (including ABC Daytime
, ABC Entertainment Group and ABC News
divisions); the Disney Channel
s Worldwide global kids’ TV business (including, among others, Playhouse Disney
and Disney XD
); ABC Family
and SOAPnet
; as well as
television distribution divisions Disney-ABC Domestic Television and Disney ABC ESPN Television. The Disney/ABC Television Group also manages the Radio Disney
Network, general interest and non-fiction book imprint Hyperion, as well the Company’s equity interest in A&E Television Networks
.
. At present, the Group current and past season episodes of ABC Studios (formerly Touchstone Television) and Disney Channel
television shows for download on Apple’s iTunes Music Store.
The entire first and second seasons of ABC hit dramas Desperate Housewives
and Lost
, the fifth season of the ABC Studios comedy Scrubs
; select episodes of popular Disney Channel and Playhouse Disney series including Wizards of Waverly Place
, That’s So Raven, The Suite Life on Deck
, Hannah Montana
, Kim Possible
, and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
; as well as current episodes of ABC Family's new original series Kyle XY
are available to U.S. consumers for purchase.
As well, the Disney-ABC Television Group offers an extensive line-up of news, entertainment and audio podcast content on Apple's iTunes Store
. Podcast content is now available for free download on the iTunes site in addition to Disney-ABC’s own websites.
On January 22, 2009, the Disney-ABC Television Group said it would merge ABC Entertainment
and ABC Studios into a new unit called ABC Entertainment Group.
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
's worldwide entertainment and news television properties. The group includes the ABC Television Network (including ABC Daytime
ABC Daytime
ABC Daytime is a programming block on the ABC Network which has historically encompassed soap operas, game shows and talk shows.-Schedule:...
, ABC Entertainment Group and ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
divisions); the Disney Channel
Disney Channel
Disney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in...
s Worldwide global kids’ TV business (including, among others, Playhouse Disney
Playhouse Disney
Playhouse Disney was Disney Channel's television block for programs aimed at entertaining preschool aged children, often airing as its own channel outside the United States. It was introduced in 1997 after Disney Channel's move to basic cable from premium cable, with a target audience of children...
and Disney XD
Disney XD
Disney XD is a brand of children's TV channels worldwide targeting young males, owned by The Walt Disney Company. The channel was formerly known as Toon Disney and/or Jetix in most areas. According to Gary Marsh, President of Entertainment for Disney Channel Worldwide, "XD" does not "stand for...
); ABC Family
ABC Family
ABC Family, stylized as abc family, is an American television network, owned by ABC Family Worldwide Inc., a subsidiary of the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company...
and SOAPnet
SOAPnet
SOAPnet is an American cable television channel that broadcasts current and past soap operas and primetime dramas, along with some original programming. The channel launched on January 20, 2000, and is owned by Disney-ABC Television Group, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
; as well as
television distribution divisions Disney-ABC Domestic Television and Disney ABC ESPN Television. The Disney/ABC Television Group also manages the Radio Disney
Radio Disney
Radio Disney is a radio network based in Burbank, California and headquartered out of the Disney Channel headquarters on West Alameda Ave., from where it has been based since November 2008. Prior to that, the network was based in Dallas, Texas...
Network, general interest and non-fiction book imprint Hyperion, as well the Company’s equity interest in A&E Television Networks
A&E Television Networks
A&E Television Networks is a U.S. media company that owns a group of television channels available via cable & satellite in the US and abroad...
.
Disney/iTunes video agreement
In a collaborative initiative with Apple, The Walt Disney Company and the Disney-ABC Television Group were first to debut episodes of hit TV series via iTunesITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
. At present, the Group current and past season episodes of ABC Studios (formerly Touchstone Television) and Disney Channel
Disney Channel
Disney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in...
television shows for download on Apple’s iTunes Music Store.
The entire first and second seasons of ABC hit dramas Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. Executive producer Cherry serves as Showrunner. Other executive producers since the fourth season include Marc Cherry, Bob Daily, George W...
and Lost
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
, the fifth season of the ABC Studios comedy Scrubs
Scrubs (TV series)
Scrubs is an American medical comedy-drama television series created in 2001 by Bill Lawrence and produced by ABC Studios. The show follows the lives of several employees of the fictional Sacred Heart, a teaching hospital. It features fast-paced screenplay, slapstick, and surreal vignettes...
; select episodes of popular Disney Channel and Playhouse Disney series including Wizards of Waverly Place
Wizards of Waverly Place
Wizards of Waverly Place is a Disney Channel Original Series that premiered on October 12, 2007. It won "Outstanding Children's Program" at the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards in 2009...
, That’s So Raven, The Suite Life on Deck
The Suite Life on Deck
The Suite Life on Deck is an American sitcom that aired on Disney Channel from September 26, 2008 to May 6, 2011. It is a sequel/spin-off of the Disney Channel Original Series The Suite Life of Zack & Cody...
, Hannah Montana
Hannah Montana
Hannah Montana is an American television series, which debuted on March 24, 2006 on the Disney Channel. The series focuses on a girl who lives a double life as an average teenage school girl named Miley Stewart by day and a famous pop singer named Hannah Montana by night, concealing her real...
, Kim Possible
Kim Possible
Kim Possible is an American animated television series about a teenage crime fighter who has the task of dealing with worldwide, family, and school issues every day. The show is action-oriented, but also has a light-hearted atmosphere and often lampoons the conventions and clichés of the...
, and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is a children's television series, that premiered in prime time on Disney Channel on May 5, 2006. The program was originally part of the Playhouse Disney daily block intended for preschoolers...
; as well as current episodes of ABC Family's new original series Kyle XY
Kyle XY
Kyle XY is an American television series with a science fiction premise and mystery-drama style. The central character is a teenage boy who awakens naked in a forest outside Seattle, Washington, with no more knowledge or abilities than a newborn. He is taken in by a family and given the name Kyle...
are available to U.S. consumers for purchase.
As well, the Disney-ABC Television Group offers an extensive line-up of news, entertainment and audio podcast content on Apple's iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
. Podcast content is now available for free download on the iTunes site in addition to Disney-ABC’s own websites.
On January 22, 2009, the Disney-ABC Television Group said it would merge ABC Entertainment
ABC Entertainment
ABC Entertainment is a network production company owned by ABC that was created in 1982.The company was previously known as ABC Television Network Productions, ABC Circle Films, and ABC Productions...
and ABC Studios into a new unit called ABC Entertainment Group.
Cable channels currently owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group
Year in parentheses denotes when channel was brought into the Disney-ABC Television Group fold.- ABC NetworksAmerican Broadcasting CompanyThe American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
(1943 - Radio) (1948 - Television)- ABCAmerican Broadcasting CompanyThe American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
(1948) - ABC DaytimeABC DaytimeABC Daytime is a programming block on the ABC Network which has historically encompassed soap operas, game shows and talk shows.-Schedule:...
(1960) - ABC EntertainmentABC EntertainmentABC Entertainment is a network production company owned by ABC that was created in 1982.The company was previously known as ABC Television Network Productions, ABC Circle Films, and ABC Productions...
(1982) - ABC NewsABC NewsABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
(1945) - ABC News NowABC News NowABC News Now is an American 24-hour news channel offered via digital television, broadband and streaming video at ABCNews.com and on mobile phones. It delivers breaking news, headline news each half hour, and wide range of entertainment and lifestyle programs. The channel is currently available in...
(2004) - ABC FamilyABC FamilyABC Family, stylized as abc family, is an American television network, owned by ABC Family Worldwide Inc., a subsidiary of the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company...
(2001)
- ABC
- SOAPnetSOAPnetSOAPnet is an American cable television channel that broadcasts current and past soap operas and primetime dramas, along with some original programming. The channel launched on January 20, 2000, and is owned by Disney-ABC Television Group, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
(2000) (replaced by Disney JuniorDisney JuniorDisney Junior is a current program block on Disney Channel and an upcoming American basic cable and satellite television network intended to replace SOAPnet in February 2012. It began airing on February 14, 2011, replacing Playhouse Disney....
in 2012) - LWN (2009)
- A&E Television NetworksA&E Television NetworksA&E Television Networks is a U.S. media company that owns a group of television channels available via cable & satellite in the US and abroad...
(42.5%) (1984) - Lifetime Entertainment ServicesLifetime Entertainment ServicesLifetime Entertainment Services was an American entertainment industry company, whose media properties were focused on women. Lifetime Entertainment Services was a joint venture of Hearst Corporation and The Walt Disney Company ....
(42.5%) (2009)- LifetimeLifetimeLifetime may refer to:*Life expectancy, the length of time a person is expected to remain alive*Mean lifetime, a certain number that characterizes the rate of reduction of a particle of an assembly...
(2009) - Lifetime Movie NetworkLifetime Movie NetworkLifetime Movie Network is a cable channel that is part of Lifetime Entertainment Services, LLC, a subsidiary of A&E Television Networks, LLC. A&E Television Networks is a joint venture of the Disney-ABC Television Group, Hearst Corporation and NBCUniversal. LMN offers women-oriented movies...
(2009) - Lifetime Real WomenLifetime Real WomenLifetime Real Women is a digital cable channel that is the sister network to Lifetime. It was launched in August 2001 and is available in over 10 million homes via digital cable...
(2009) - Lifetime Radio for Women (2009)
- Lifetime Press (2009)
- Lifetime Digital (2009)
- Lifetime
- Disney Channel (international)
- Disney ChannelDisney ChannelDisney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in...
(1983) - Disney JuniorDisney JuniorDisney Junior is a current program block on Disney Channel and an upcoming American basic cable and satellite television network intended to replace SOAPnet in February 2012. It began airing on February 14, 2011, replacing Playhouse Disney....
(2011) (formerly called Playhouse DisneyPlayhouse DisneyPlayhouse Disney was Disney Channel's television block for programs aimed at entertaining preschool aged children, often airing as its own channel outside the United States. It was introduced in 1997 after Disney Channel's move to basic cable from premium cable, with a target audience of children...
) - Disney XDDisney XDDisney XD is a brand of children's TV channels worldwide targeting young males, owned by The Walt Disney Company. The channel was formerly known as Toon Disney and/or Jetix in most areas. According to Gary Marsh, President of Entertainment for Disney Channel Worldwide, "XD" does not "stand for...
(2009) (formerly called Toon DisneyToon DisneyToon Disney was an American cable television channel owned by The Walt Disney Company. A spinoff of Disney Channel, it mostly aired children's animated series and some live action programming. Its format had similarities to those of Cartoon Network and Nicktoons...
) - Disney CinemagicDisney CinemagicDisney Cinemagic is the premium subscription movie service, available through Sky, TalkTalk TV and Virgin Media. The channel first appeared on 16 March 2006, airing previews, preparing for the official launch that took place at 17:00 on 19 March 2006....
- Disney Cinemagic (USA) (2012)
- Disney Cinemagic (France)Disney Cinemagic (France)Disney Cinemagic was launched on 4 September 2007 along with a 1 hour timeshift . Both channels are available on CanalSat channel 112 and 113. The channel replaced Toon Disney on CanalSat...
(2007) - Disney Cinemagic (Germany)Disney Cinemagic (Germany)Disney Cinemagic is a German television channel launched on 4 July 2009. It replaced Toon Disney on Premiere . Toon Disney ceased broadcast via German cable TV platforms on April 15, 2010.- Shows :* Aladdin* 101 Dalmatians: The Series...
(2009) - Disney Cinemagic (Portugal) (2008)
- Disney Cinemagic (Italy) (2012)
- Disney Cinemagic (Spain)Disney Cinemagic (Spain)Disney Cinemagic is a Spanish television channel launched on 1 July 2008, along with its timeshift service Disney Cinemagic +1. In summer 2010 Disney Cinemagic HD started to broadcast. It replaced Toon Disney in Spain....
(2008) - Disney Cinemagic (UK & Ireland) (2006)
- Disney Channel
- Family (20%) (1988)
International television investments by Disney Enterprises, Inc.
- Super RTLSuper RTLSuper RTL is a Cologne-based German television network operated by RTL Disney Fernsehen GmbH & Co. KG. It was the second German television channel aimed mostly at children...
(Germany) through Buena Vista International Television Investments (50 %) - RTL IIRTL IIRTL II is a privately owned, commercial, general-interest German television channel.It was founded as a second-generation commercial broadcaster in 1993. It quickly became infamous for its perceived "trash programming", comprising lots of soft porn as well as shows such as Peep and many...
(Germany) through ABC Cable and International Broadcast Worldwide Holdings (15.75 %)
Radio Stations currently owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group
- Radio DisneyRadio DisneyRadio Disney is a radio network based in Burbank, California and headquartered out of the Disney Channel headquarters on West Alameda Ave., from where it has been based since November 2008. Prior to that, the network was based in Dallas, Texas...
(1996)- ABC News RadioABC News RadioABC News Radio is the radio service of ABC News, a division of the ABC Television Network. Formerly known as ABC Radio News, ABC News Radio feeds, through Cumulus Media Networks, newscasts on the hour to its more than 2,000 affiliates...
(1968) - Radio Disney Latin AmericaRadio Disney Latin AmericaRadio Disney Latin America is a Latin Top 40 Pop radio network owned by The Walt Disney Company, which is broadcast in several countries in Latin America...
- Radio Disney BrazilRadio Disney BrazilRadio Disney Brasil is a radio network owned by The Walt Disney Company, which is only in Brazil.The station is aimed primarily at youth and adolescents. It broadcasts Brazilian Pop Music, and American music in English, as well as popular Disney music....
- ABC News Radio