Disney Junior (British and Irish TV channel) facts for kids

Disney Junior was a TV channel in the UK and Ireland for young children. It showed fun shows for kids who were not yet in school. The channel started on September 29, 2000, and was first called Playhouse Disney. Later, on May 7, 2011, it changed its name to Disney Junior. The channel stopped broadcasting on September 30, 2020.

The Story of Disney Junior

How it Started: Playhouse Disney

Before Disney Junior became its own channel, it started as a special block of shows on the Disney Channel. This block was for very young children. In 1997, it was called "Disney Channel Underfives."

By 1999, this block got its own look and feel. It even had live presenters. In 2000, it became known as Playhouse Disney. This was the first time Playhouse Disney was used outside of the United States. Two presenters, Dave Benson Phillips and Alex Lovell, hosted the shows from a big, colorful place called the Playhouse.

Becoming a Full Channel

Logo used from 2000-2003.

On September 29, 2000, Playhouse Disney became its own TV channel. It launched on Sky Digital, along with Toon Disney and Disney Channel +1. Because it was only on Sky at first, the Playhouse Disney block still played on Disney Channel during school weekdays.

Later, Playhouse Disney also became available on NTL in 2002 and Telewest in 2003. The Playhouse Disney block on Disney Channel showed fewer hours of programming. It eventually stopped completely in July 2004. The presenters, Big Dave and Little Alex, continued until August 2006.

Joining Basic TV Packages

On February 28, 2006, Disney and Sky announced a big change. Playhouse Disney and Disney Channel would no longer be extra channels you had to pay more for. Instead, they would become part of basic TV packages, like Sky's "Kids Mix." This change started on March 16. A new channel, Disney Cinemagic, took over the premium Disney movies.

Moving Playhouse Disney to basic packages made many more people watch it. By July, its audience had grown by 83%. In June 2006, a Playhouse Disney block also appeared on ABC1 in the mornings. This block was removed when ABC1 stopped broadcasting in September 2007. The old ABC1 spot on Sky was then used for a new channel called Playhouse Disney +1, which launched on November 3.

The Disney Junior Relaunch

On January 29, 2011, it was announced that Playhouse Disney would change its name to Disney Junior. This happened on May 7, 2011, as part of a worldwide rebranding. When the channel changed its name, it also started showing programs in a wider screen format.

On February 21, 2013, Sky and Disney announced that a high-definition (HD) version of Disney Junior would launch on Sky in May. In September 2017, Disney XD +1 briefly became a special channel called Mickey and Pals. This channel showed many programs from Disney Junior.

The Channel Closes

Disney Junior, along with its sister channels Disney XD and Disney Channel, stopped broadcasting in the UK on September 30, 2020. It had been on air for 20 years. This happened because Disney could not agree on a new deal with Sky and Virgin Media.

The closure was announced on June 25, 2020. All the shows from these channels moved to Disney's streaming service, Disney+. The very last show on Disney Junior was Gigantosaurus. After that, it showed some ads and a music video from Vampirina. The channel officially shut down after a "good morning" song. It then showed a picture of Mickey Mouse, Animal from Muppet Babies, and Vee from Vampirina.

Virgin Media removed the channels a day earlier, on September 29. CBBC and CBeebies took over their old spots on Sky's channel list on October 1.