Disney Channel (Flarland)
The Flarlandian version of Disney Channel launched on the digital tiers of Flarlandian Satellite Broadcasting and Cable Flarland when digital subscription services launched in 1996, as well as through analog cable and satellite until analog premium broadcasts were discontinued. The channel targets kids ages 7 to 16, especially girls, and has its programming relayed through K-Zone terrestrially.
History[edit | edit source]
Disney Channel launched in Flarland in July 1996. On analog subscription television the channel ran from 6am to around 10pm, while the digital signal broadcast throughout the day. On analog it timeshared with an adult channel - Adult X - and Disney had to pay the consequences of timesharing with an erotic channel by, at request of the companies, forcing a separate subscription and create two barriers - at 10pm and 5am - to prevent a direct handover and broadcast of Adult X programming within its subscription.
The service ran at an analog subscription price of FL$2,74 and digital subscription price of FL$2,99. However there were disagreements between Disney and Adult X Television regarding the timeshare. Some companies boycotted and asked for Disney to carry the channel without any timesharing as early as February 1997.
On launch night, Disney Channel - initially known as The Disney Channel - broadcast the Flarlandian television premiere of Toy Story, at 7pm, followed by programming on its making. At launch, as a premium service, Disney Channel had to broadcast itself as a commercial-free service, unlike its competitors: Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, TCC and Fox Kids.
The channel rebranded in line with other feeds worldwide in 1997. It also premiered Channel 13's educational series You and Me (a few years before UWB signed an official contract with Disney) in the same year as its first Flarlandian series
The channel got another rebrand in 1999. In September 2000, Disney Channel launched Toon Disney and Playhouse Disney (Toon Disney was 24/7 and Playhouse Disney was not until a rebrand in the late 2000s). As part of a new corporate plan, Disney would bundle its sister channels together with Disney Channel under a premium package of three channels rather than making its sister channels available on expanded tiers. By this point, about 20 million Flarlandians already had a Disney Channel subscription, and this made it the second most-subscribed package of premium television services, behind IBC Sports at around 34 milion and ahead of IBC Movies at around 18 million. Initially the channels were made available to FST and Cable Flarland subscribers, but within days of their launch, they were made available on SelecTV and, in 2001, on the now-defunct XDTV.
Disney Channel ceased analog satellite transmissions on June 30, 2001, on the same day FST shut down its analog services "for the benefit of progress".
On March 15, 2003, in line with all other non-USS feeds of the channel, Disney Channel Flarland rebranded. During this phase, Disney Channel's content was under the process of revision, becoming more of a kids channel. It still, however, broadcast The Wonderful World of Disney every night at 8pm, including the DCOMs. Some of the older Sierran and Hopelandian live-action series (from the ABC and NBN networks) were now shown late at night before later being either abandoned or moved to ABC 1.
Interactive applications[edit | edit source]
During the height of interactive services on FST, Cable Flarland, SelecTV and XDTV decoders, Disney launched Disney Channel Active over the red button of its three channels in April 2001.
