Closure of Disney Channels in certain countries

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It's the end of an era as we know it after decades...

In early 2019, Disney started shutting down certain Disney Channels (Disney Channel, Disney XD & Disney Junior, but mostly Disney XD for some reason) in various countries outside the United States to focus on Disney+.[1]

Why These Shutdowns Aren't Magical at All

  1. First and foremost, these shutdowns were only done just to get people to pay for Disney+, which is a horrible idea.
    • Even before the closure of the British-Irish channel was announced, Disney+ had acquired the North American rights to 101 Dalmatian Street. The streaming service, however, did not promote the show in any way. On March 29, 2021, the series did premiere on cable television on Disney XD, but the ratings were so poor due to the series having bad timeslots and that less people had the channel. This proves that Disney doesn't care what they do with 101 Dalmatian Street and these shutdowns are one of the factors why the show was cancelled after only one season.
    • Additionally, not everyone can get Disney+ due to financial concerns, poor internet connections, or lack of interest, which makes it look like Disney is treating all of their viewers like absolute morons.
  2. When all of this was first announced, parents and children were outraged.
  3. Cable television is far from dead and will never be extinct anytime soon, but Disney expects everyone to move away from it.
  4. Despite some countries not having their Disney Channels (which include Disney XD and Disney Junior) closed such as the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Portugal, Bulgaria, Greece, and Israel (apart from Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and Turkey; although if they're planning to close down), they have neither Disney XD, Disney Junior, nor Disney+ yet, which makes this idea completely unfair.
  5. In addition, viewers won't be able to watch Disney Channel shows anymore, which could lead to increased cases of piracy or downright boycott them.
  6. The situation was made worse by Disney's decision to shut down almost all their 18 TV channels in Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea, and Taiwan in favor of Disney+.[2]
  7. In developing countries where English content is frequently pirated, the closure of Disney-affiliated channels (other than Disney Channel, Disney XD, and Disney Junior) may pose a serious threat to consumers and cable TV providers.
  8. Disney announced in May 2021 that it would close 100 channels in certain countries by the end of 2021.[3] Fox from the United Kingdom/Ireland, for example, will shut down on June 30 without announcement while after they close down.
  9. Disney plans to launch a few new channels in India, including Disney Channel India HD, Hungama HD, and Super Hungama.[4] As REAL Disney Channels' throughout the world shut down, Disney Channel India continues to show Doraemon nonstop and shows very little actual Disney programming (most of which is late at night). However, the launches of the new channels were delayed several times and as of now only Super Hungama managed to launch.
    • In addition to Disney Channel, there is another channel called Disney International HD, which contains live-action content but without Disney cartoons.
    • Super Hungama replaced Marvel HQ on March 1, 2022. Often, Marvel HQ shows episodes of Pokémon and Beyblade all day and very little Marvel / Star Wars content. Additionally, the channel overpromised and underdelivered content.[5] At the time of rebranding, the schedule remained nearly the same as Marvel HQ, just 4 shows were added just to make it seem like its a brand new channel. This also includes three Disney shows, Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, Milo Murphy's Law and Big City Greens.
      • The funny thing is, Super Hungama is airing some Disney animated shows while Disney Channel has none!
  10. The shutdowns typically occur in an unceremonious manner. In contrast, Disney just pulls the plug on all of its owned television networks without so much as a hint that it is going to happen, while poorly received online games like Anthem get formal farewell messages. Despite being in the middle of a show, they do not even have the courtesy of cutting off the broadcast after a commercial bumper. Even a simple "Thank you for watching" would be appreciated after decades of entertainment. It is kind of creepy that they just cut to black. It is like how anything can end without a conclusion.
  11. Heck, even Fox-owned BabyTV is shutting down across Asia and Northern Europe just because Disney+ has BabyTV content.

Magical Qualities

  1. The United States aside, other countries and regions such as the Netherlands, Canada (since 2015; Disney does not own the channel, but they licensed the branding to Corus Entertainment, who also owns Global TV and some other specialty channels), France, Germany, Nordic countries, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Latin America/Brazil, Japan, Greece/Cyprus, Czech Republic/Slovakia/Hungary, Romania/Moldova/Bulgaria, Middle East and North Africa, Turkey, Israel, sub-Saharan Africa, Japan, Poland, and some others would still have Disney Channel, despite some of these territories not having Disney XD as earlier stated in WTSAMAA #4.
  2. At least the Southeast Asian channles use the "This channel is no longer available. Thank you for watching" phrase.
  3. National Geographic despite being also owned by Disney, & its sister channel, National Geographic Wild, are the only channels spared from the Southeast Asian shutdown. This puts the NatGeo slogan "FURTHER" to a whole new bittersweet level.
  4. Despite the notice on WTSAMAA #10, DLife & Disney XD (both from Japan), STAR Premium Channels in Latin America, Disney Channel in Turkey and Disney Junior in Germany all made their unique shutdowns, ranging from heartwarming to memorable. Disney Channel in Spain also did a farewell video prior to its shutdown, and was also memorable.

List of Countries Affected by the Shutdowns

Disney Channel

  • Asia (Shutdown on October 1, 2021)
  • Australia (Shutdown on April 30, 2020)
  • Brazil (Shutdown on February 28, 2025)
  • Fiji (Shutdown on April 30, 2020)
  • Italy (Shutdown on May 1, 2020)
  • Malaysia (Shutdown on January 1, 2021)
  • New Zealand (Shutdown on April 30, 2020)
  • Republic of Ireland (Shutdown on September 30, 2020)
  • Russia (Temporary shuttered on December 14, 2022, due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine)
  • Singapore (Shutdown on June 1, 2020)
  • South Korea (Shutdown on October 1, 2021)
  • Taiwan (Shutdown on January 1, 2022)
  • Turkey (Shutdown on April 1, 2022)[6]
  • Ukraine (Shutdown on January 1, 2013)
  • France (Shutting down on January 1, 2025)
  • Spain (Shutting down on January 7, 2025)
  • United Kingdom (Shutdown on September 30, 2020; most infamous example)

Disney Junior

  • Asia (Shutdown on October 1, 2021)
  • Australia (Shutdown on April 30, 2020)
  • Brazil (Shutdown on March 31, 2022)
  • Canada (original) (Shutdown on September 18, 2015 and replaced by Family Jr.)
  • Germany (Shutdown on September 30, 2021)
  • Italy (Shutdown on May 1, 2020)
  • Netherlands and Flanders (Shutdown on April 1, 2019)
  • New Zealand (Shutdown on November 30, 2019)
  • Republic of Ireland (Shutdown on October 1, 2020)
  • Singapore (Shutdown on June 1, 2020)
  • South Korea (Shutdown on October 1, 2021)
  • Taiwan (Shutdown on January 1, 2022)
  • United Kingdom (Shutdown on October 1, 2020)
  • Scandinavia (Shutdown on April 1, 2024)
  • France (Shutting down on January 1, 2025)

Radio Disney

  • United States (Shutdown on April 24, 2021)

Disney XD

  • Australia (Shutdown on January 6, 2019)
  • Belgium (Shutdown on July 31, 2018)
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina (Shutdown on February 1, 2021)
  • Brazil (Shutdown on March 31, 2022)
  • Canada (original) (Shutdown on October 9, 2015 and replaced by Family CHRGD)
  • Croatia (Shutdown on February 1, 2021)
  • Cyprus (Shutdown on February 1, 2021)
  • Denmark (Shutdown on December 31, 2020)
  • Estonia (Shutdown on December 31, 2020)
  • Finland (Shutdown on December 31, 2020)
  • France (Shutdown on May 1, 2020)
  • Greece (Shutdown on February 1, 2021)
  • Iceland (Shutdown on December 31, 2020)
  • India (Replaced by Marvel HQ on January 20, 2019)
  • Indonesia (Shutdown on January 1, 2021)
  • Japan (Shutdown on February 1, 2021)
  • Kosovo (Shutdown on February 1, 2021)
  • Latin America (Shutdown on March 31, 2022)
  • Latvia (Shutdown on December 31, 2020)
  • Lithuania (Shutdown on December 31, 2020)
  • Malta (Shutdown on February 1, 2021)
  • Malaysia (Shutdown on January 1, 2021)
  • Middle East and North Africa (Shutdown on January 1, 2021)
  • Montenegro (Shutdown on February 1, 2021)
  • New Zealand (Shutdown on January 6, 2019)
  • North Macedonia (Shutdown on February 1, 2021)
  • Norway (Shutdown on December 31, 2020)
  • Philippines (Shutdown on January 1, 2021)
  • Republic of Ireland (Shutdown on October 1, 2020)
  • Serbia (Shutdown on February 1, 2021)
  • Singapore (Shutdown on June 1, 2020)
  • Slovenia (Shutdown on February 1, 2021)
  • South Korea (Shutdown on February 1, 2021)
  • Spain (Shutdown on April 1, 2020)
  • Sub-Saharan Africa (Shutdown on October 1, 2020)
  • Sweden (Shutdown on December 31, 2020)
  • Thailand (Shutdown on January 1, 2021)
  • Turkey (Shutdown on February 1, 2021)
  • United Kingdom (Shutdown on October 1, 2020)

Fox

  • Germany (Shutdown on October 1, 2021)
  • Italy (Shutdown on July 1, 2022)
  • Republic of Ireland (Shutdown on June 30, 2021)
  • Southeast Asia & Hong Kong (Shutdown on October 1, 2021)
  • South Korea (Shutdown on January 1, 2021)
  • Sub-Saharan Africa (Shutdown on October 1, 2021)
  • Thailand (Shutdown on October 1, 2021)
  • United Kingdom (Shutdown on June 30, 2021)
  • Vietnam (Shutdown on May 1, 2021)

Dlife

  • Japan (Shutdown on March 31, 2020)

Marvel HQ

  • India (Replaced with Super Hungama on March 1, 2022)

BabyTV

  • Hong Kong (Shutdown on October 1, 2021)
  • India (Shutdown on November 30, 2021)
  • Malaysia (Shutdown on Unifi TV on October 1, 2021, and on Astro on February 1, 2022)
  • Latvia (Shutdown on June 9, 2022)

Family CHRGD

  • Canada (Shutdown on March 1, 2022 and replaced by WildBrainTV)

List of Countries Partially Affected by the Shutdowns

  • Austria (which lost Disney XD in 2020 and Disney Junior in 2021)
  • Belgium (which lost the Dutch Disney XD in 2018, the Dutch Disney Junior in 2019, and the French Disney XD in 2020)
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina (which lost Disney XD in 2021)
  • Brazil (which lost Star Premium, Disney XD, and Disney Junior in 2022)
  • Croatia (which lost Disney XD in 2021)
  • Cyprus (which lost Disney XD in 2021)
  • Denmark (which lost Disney XD in 2021, and saw the Fox Networks Group-operated Xee stop being operated by Disney in 2022)
  • Estonia (which lost Disney XD in 2021)
  • Finland (which lost Disney XD in 2021)
  • Germany (which lost Disney XD in 2020 and Disney Junior in 2021)
  • Greece (which lost Disney XD in 2021)
  • Haiti (which lost Disney XD in either 2020 or 2022)
  • Iceland (which lost Disney XD in 2020)
  • India (which lost BabyTV in 2021)
  • Japan (which lost Dlife in 2020 and Disney XD in 2021)
  • Kosovo (which lost Disney XD in 2021)
  • Latin America (which lost Star Premium and Disney XD in 2022)
  • Latvia (which lost Disney XD in 2021, and BabyTV in 2022 )
  • Liechtenstein (which lost Disney XD in 2020 and Disney Junior in 2021)
  • Lithuania (which lost Disney XD in 2020)
  • Luxembourg (which lost Disney XD in 2020, and the German Disney Junior in 2021)
  • Middle East and North Africa (which lost Disney XD in 2021)
  • Montenegro (which lost Disney XD in 2021)
  • Netherlands (which lost Disney Junior in 2019)
  • North Macedonia (which lost Disney XD in 2021)
  • Norway (which lost Disney XD and Fox in 2021)
  • Serbia (which lost Disney XD in 2021)
  • Slovenia (which lost Disney XD in 2021)
  • Spain (which lost Disney XD in 2020 and Disney Channel in 2025)
  • Sub-Saharan Africa (which lost Disney XD in 2020 and Fox in 2021)
  • Sweden (which lost Disney XD in 2021)
  • Switzerland (which lost the Italian Disney XD in 2019, the German and French Disney XD in 2020, and the German Disney Junior in 2021)
  • Turkey (which lost Disney XD in 2021 and Disney Channel in 2022)
  • Ukraine (which already lost Disney Channel in 2013)
  • United States (which lost Radio Disney in 2021 and Fox Life in 2022)
  • Scandinavia (which lost Disney Junior in 2024)

List of Countries that Weren't Affected by the Shutdowns

  • Bulgaria
  • Canada (despite losing their first Disney Junior and XD channels and due to all Disney-branded or Disney-owned TV channels in the country being operated by Corus Entertainment under license, rather than Disney itself)
  • Czech Republic
  • Hungary
  • Moldova
  • Monaco
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Romania
  • Slovakia
  • Venezuela

Videos

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KABC-TV 7 of Los Angeles' report on the closure of Radio Disney. Although the United States wasn't affected, but they did lose Radio Disney.
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The end of Disney Channel example.
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Collection of International Disney Channels and Fox channels going off the air in favor of Disney+.

References

  1. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20181205143328/https://community.foxtel.com.au/t5/Foxtel-Announcements/Disney-XD-Channel-Closure/td-p/260727
  2. ↑ https://deadline.com/2021/04/disney-closes-asia-tv-channels-1234744754/
  3. ↑ https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-05-25/disney-to-close-100-international-tv-channels-in-streaming-shift
  4. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/animesourceindia/photos/a.1619757434984288/2715688078724546/
  5. ↑ https://www.adgully.com/with-marvel-hq-channel-disney-is-looking-to-tap-the-action-adventure-space-82874.html
  6. ↑ https://www.cnnturk.com/teknoloji/disney-channel-turkiye-kapaniyor-mu-neden-disney-channeldan-resmi-aciklama-geldi

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