Disney Junior facts for kids
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| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| 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 (as a block on Disney Channel) March 23, 2012 (as a channel) |
| Replaced | Soapnet |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Watch live |
Disney Junior is an American TV channel that you pay to watch. It is owned by The Walt Disney Company. The channel is mostly for young kids, usually aged two to seven. It shows its own original TV series, movies, and some other shows from different companies.
As of January 2016, about 74 million homes in the U.S. could watch Disney Junior.
Contents
How Disney Junior Started
Early Ideas for a Kids' Channel
Disney first tried to make a TV channel just for young kids. This was back in 1997. They wanted to call it Playhouse Disney. This name was already used for a special morning block of shows on Disney Channel. But, they decided not to launch the full channel in the U.S. at that time. However, Playhouse Disney channels did start in other countries.
On May 26, 2010, Disney announced they would launch a new channel. This channel would be called Disney Junior. It would compete with other channels for young children. 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 Soapnet. Soapnet was another Disney-owned channel. It showed daytime soap operas. But, fewer people were watching soap operas. Also, more people were using online streaming and DVRs. So, a channel just for soap operas was not needed as much.
Launching the Channel and TV Block
Disney Junior first started as a group of shows on Disney Channel. This happened on February 14, 2011. This group of shows is called a "programming block."
The full Disney Junior channel was supposed to launch in January 2012. But, the launch date was moved to later in early 2012. Finally, on January 9, 2012, Disney announced that Soapnet would close on March 22, 2012.
The 24-hour Disney Junior channel officially launched the next day. This was on March 23, 2012, at 12:00 AM Eastern Time. The first show aired was an episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Other shows on the first day included Jake and the Never Land Pirates and Doc McStuffins. The channel also had a weekend movie block called Magical World of Disney Junior.
Even though Disney Junior took over Soapnet's channel space, Soapnet continued 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. They also showed their first Disney Junior Original Movie, Lucky Duck, in 2014. The morning block of Disney Junior shows on Disney Channel is now called Mickey Mornings.
How People Watch Disney Junior
When it first launched, Disney Junior was available on many TV providers. These included Xfinity, Time Warner Cable, and Verizon FiOS. Other providers added the channel later:
- On March 26, 2012, Cox Communications announced they would carry Disney Junior.
- On April 3, 2012, Disney made a deal with the National Cable Television Cooperative. This helped many smaller cable providers carry Disney Junior.
- Cable One added the channel around May 26, 2012.
- RCN started carrying the channel on June 21, 2012.
- On July 13, 2012, DirecTV announced they would add Disney Junior. This happened the next day.
- On December 31, 2012, Charter Communications made a deal with Disney. This included adding Disney Junior to Charter systems in early 2013. However, Disney Junior stopped being carried by Spectrum (which Charter became) on August 31, 2023, due to a dispute. It was not brought back when a new agreement was reached.
- On January 15, 2013, AT&T U-verse also made a deal with Disney. This included adding Disney Junior.
- Dish Network, the last major TV provider to add Disney Junior, did so on April 10, 2014.
Shows on Disney Junior
Programming on the Disney Junior channel includes:
- Original series like Alice's Wonderland Bakery.
- Shows that used to be on the old Playhouse Disney block, like Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.
- Reruns of older original shows, like Doc McStuffins.
- Some older animated series that were shown on ABC or CBS.
- Shows from other companies, such as PJ Masks, Babar and the Adventures of Badou, and Bluey.
Disney Junior Night Light
Disney Junior Night Light was a special block of shows on Disney Junior. It ran every night from 9:00 PM to 4:00 AM. This block started on September 4, 2012. It had short shows for parents and children to watch together. Some features included Picture This (a drawing segment) and That's Fresh (cooking tips for parents). Since 2017, the overnight shows on Disney Junior have run without the Night Light name.
Other Ways to Watch Disney Junior
| Service | What it is |
|---|---|
| Disney Junior HD | This is the high-definition (HD) version of the Disney Junior channel. It broadcasts in 720p resolution. Most TV providers started offering it when Disney Junior launched. |
| Disney Junior On Demand | This service lets you watch select episodes of Disney Junior shows whenever you want. It's available to most TV providers that carry the channel. |
| DisneyNOW | On September 28, 2017, the Disney Channel app became DisneyNOW. This app combines content from Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD, and Radio Disney. You can watch shows and live TV from all four services. |
| Disney+ | Disney+ is a streaming service where you pay a monthly fee to watch. It has a huge library of shows and movies. This includes many shows from Disney Junior and its older version, Playhouse Disney. |
| Old Services | |
| Disney Junior App | This was a mobile app that let you stream Disney Junior content. You needed to log in with your TV provider account to watch live shows or new episodes. It closed on February 15, 2018, and its content moved to the DisneyNow app. |
Disney Junior Around the World
Disney Junior is shown in many countries around the world. However, since 2020, some international Disney Junior channels have closed. This is because Disney wants to focus on Disney+. Disney+ has a lot of shows from Disney Junior and Playhouse Disney.
See also
In Spanish: Disney Junior para niños
