Disney Jr. facts for kids
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Country | United States |
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Broadcast area | Nationwide |
Headquarters | Burbank, California, U.S. |
Programming | |
Language(s) | English Spanish (via SAP audio track) |
Picture format | HDTV 720p (downscaled to letterboxed 480i for the SD feed) |
Ownership | |
Owner | Disney Entertainment (The Walt Disney Company) |
Parent | Disney Branded Television |
Sister channels |
List
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History | |
Launched | February 14, 2011 March 23, 2012 (as a channel) |
(as a block on Disney Channel)
Replaced | Soapnet (as a network) Playhouse Disney (as a Disney Channel morning block) |
Former names | Disney Junior (2011–2024) |
Links | |
Webcast | Watch live |
Availability | |
Streaming media | |
Affiliated streaming service | Disney+ |
Service(s) | DirecTV Stream, Fubo TV, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, YouTube TV |
Disney Jr. is a TV channel in the United States. It used to be called Disney Junior and Playhouse Disney. This channel is owned by The Walt Disney Company. It is made for children aged two to seven years old.
Disney Jr. shows original TV series, movies, and other programs. As of November 2023, about 45 million homes in the U.S. could watch Disney Jr. This number is lower than in 2015, when 74 million homes watched it. More people are now watching shows on streaming services like Disney+. Because of this, Disney Jr. has been removed from some TV providers. For example, it was removed from Charter Spectrum in 2023.
Contents
History of Disney Jr.
Early Beginnings
The Walt Disney Company first thought about having a 24-hour channel for young kids. This idea came from a popular morning TV block called Playhouse Disney. Playhouse Disney started on Disney Channel on February 1, 1999. It showed programs for preschoolers every morning. While a 24-hour channel wasn't launched in the U.S. at that time, Playhouse Disney channels did start in other countries.
The plan for Disney Junior began on May 26, 2010. Disney announced they would launch a new channel. This channel would compete with other channels for young children. All the Playhouse Disney shows and channels would also change their name to Disney Junior.
The new Disney Junior channel in the U.S. was planned to replace a channel called Soapnet. Soapnet showed daytime soap operas. These shows were not as popular anymore. Also, people could watch them online or record them. So, there was less need for a channel just for soap operas.
Channel and Block Launch
Disney Junior first started as a special block of shows on Disney Channel. This happened on February 14, 2011. The full Disney Junior channel was supposed to launch in January 2012. However, the launch date was moved to early 2012. Then, on January 9, 2012, Disney announced that Soapnet would close for most TV providers on March 22, 2012.
The 24-hour Disney Junior channel officially launched the next day, on March 23, 2012. It started at 12:00 a.m. Eastern Time. Some of the first shows on the channel included Jake and the Never Land Pirates, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and a new show called Doc McStuffins. The channel also had short shows like A Poem Is. and a weekend movie block called Magical World of Disney Junior.
Even though Disney Junior took over Soapnet's channel space, Soapnet continued to be available for some TV providers. These providers had not yet agreed to carry Disney Junior. Soapnet finally stopped broadcasting on December 31, 2013.
In 2012, Disney Junior started a movie night called Magical World of Disney Junior. The channel also showed its first original movie, Lucky Duck, on June 20, 2014. The morning block of Disney Junior shows on Disney Channel is now called Mickey Mornings.
TV Provider Availability
When Disney Junior first launched, it was available on many TV providers. These included Xfinity, Time Warner Cable, and Verizon FiOS. Other providers later signed agreements to carry the channel.
In December 2012, Cox added Disney Junior to its TV packages. On July 13, 2012, DirecTV announced that Disney Junior would be added to its lineup the next day. This happened during a time when DirecTV was having a disagreement with another company, Viacom.
On December 31, 2012, Charter Communications (now Spectrum) made a deal with Disney. This deal included adding Disney Junior to Charter systems in early 2013. However, Disney Junior stopped being available on Spectrum on August 31, 2023. This was due to a disagreement between Disney and Spectrum. They later reached a new agreement on September 11, 2023, and Disney's channels, including Disney Junior, were restored.
On January 15, 2013, AT&T U-verse also made a deal with Disney. This agreement included adding Disney Junior to its channel lineup.
Dish Network was the last major TV provider to add Disney Junior. They added the channel on April 10, 2014. Dish and Disney had a long disagreement. But they finally agreed to carry all of Disney's channels in both standard and high definition on March 3, 2014.
Programming on Disney Jr.
Disney Jr. Night Light Block
Disney Jr. Night Light was the name of Disney Jr. channel's overnight block of shows. It ran every night from 9:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. Eastern and Pacific time. This block started on September 4, 2012. It featured short programs for both parents and children to watch together.
Some of the shows in this block included Picture This, which was about drawing. Sesh Tales featured puppet shows that retold classic fairy tales. That's Fresh gave cooking tips for parents. Since 2017, Disney Jr.'s overnight programming has run without the Night Light name or special segments.
Related Services
Service | Description |
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Disney Jr. HD | Disney Jr. HD is a high definition version of the Disney Jr. channel. It shows programs in clear, high-quality video. Most TV providers started offering it when Disney Junior launched. |
Disney Jr. On Demand | Disney Jr. On Demand lets you watch episodes of Disney Jr.'s original shows whenever you want. It is available to most TV providers that carry the channel. |
DisneyNOW | On September 28, 2017, the Disney Channel app became DisneyNOW. This app combines shows from Disney Channel, Disney Jr., Disney XD, and Radio Disney. The old Disney Junior app was stopped on February 15, 2018. |
Disney+ | Disney+ is a streaming service where you can watch many Disney shows and movies. It includes content from Disney Jr. and the older Playhouse Disney shows. |
Former Services | |
Disney Junior App | This was a mobile app for watching Disney Junior shows. It used to be called "WATCH Disney Junior." You needed to log in with your TV provider to watch live shows or new episodes. Some free episodes were also available. This app closed on February 15, 2018, when its content moved to the DisneyNow app. |
International Disney Jr. Channels
Disney Jr. channels are broadcast around the world. However, some of these channels have closed since 2020. This is because Disney wants to focus on its streaming service, Disney+. Disney+ now has many of the shows that used to be on these channels.
See also
In Spanish: Disney Jr. para niños