Sadly, the Disney Channel in the United Kingdom will be closed this Fall. This change comes as Disney and pay-tv platforms such as Sky and Virgin Media were unable to reach an agreement for distribution, therefore leading the decision in which the Disney Channel will be closed, and all shows are to be migrated to Disney+.
Disney’s three broadcasting channels, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, and Disney XD will go off the air at the end of September. Shows such as PJ Masks, Elena of Avalor, Ducktales, and more, will be available exclusively on Disney+. Other broadcasting channels such as National Geographic and the Fox channels will not be affected.
A spokesman of Disney stated, “From October 1st, Disney+ will become the exclusive home for content from Disney Channel, Disney XD, and Disney Junior in the UK. The Walt Disney Company remains committed to our kids channels business .”
The same spokesman also commented that Disney aims to “execute distribution agreements for Disney channels in many markets where Disney+ is also available.”
For those of you in the UK, will you be affected by this situation? Let us know in the comments below.
Oh my gosh my children are devastated! I know it sounds like first world problems but this will mean we have to buy a new tv so they can watch Disney as ours is too old to load the app😔. It definitely feels recently that despite Disney+ release here, the UK is left behind when it comes to programming and releases (possibly due to pre existing deals with Amazon/Sky TV). When Disney+ finally became available there weren’t nearly as many viewing options, and films that rushed release in US due to Covid, like Frozen 2 we are only just getting now. There is no sign of Onward being available anytime soon on the platform either.