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Disney XD

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Disney XD
CountryUnited States
HeadquartersDisney Studios, Burbank, California
Programming
Language(s)English
Ownership
OwnerDisney-ABC Television Group
(The Walt Disney Company)

Disney XD is an American digital cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It was launched on February 13, 2009 as the successor to Toon Disney, and a sister network to Disney Channel. Disney XD mostly airs action-oriented children's television series and movies aimed primarily towards young male viewers aged 6 to 14.

Disney XD airs original Disney XD content, such as Zeke and Luther, Kickin' It, I'm in the Band, and Pair of Kings and some of Disney Channel's most popular programming, including recent and archived original series, such as The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and Wizards of Waverly Place, as well as some made-for-TV movies.

It is offered with Latin Spanish language audio, either via a separate channel as part of a Spanish language network package sold by cable and satellite providers or a separate audio track with the SAP option, depending on the system. The channel also offers a video-on-demand service to digital cable and IPTV subscribers, offering free programming.

Programming

Disney XD broadcasts original series such as Pair of Kings, Crash & Bernstein, Kickin' It, Rated A for Awesome, Fort Boyard: Ultimate Challenge, Kid vs. Kat, Mr. Young, Lab Rats, Ultimate Spider-Man, The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, Motorcity, Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja, and Tron: Uprising. Repeats of former Disney XD original series include Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil, Jimmy Two-Shoes, and Zeke and Luther. Reruns of Disney Channel original series includes American Dragon: Jake Long, Cars Toons, Fish Hooks, The Legend of Tarzan, Phineas and Ferb, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, its sequel series The Suite Life on Deck, Wizards of Waverly Place, and So Random!. Acquired programing from other networks includes Fantastic Four, Gargoyles, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, Silver Surfer, Spider-Man, Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, Spider-Man Unlimited, X-Men, X-Men Evolution, My Babysitter's a Vampire, Sonic Underground and The Jungle Book. Future original series includes BoBoiBoy, and Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H..

A notable aspect of Disney XD's original series is that they tend to feature predominately male casts, and as such, its original programs feature very few females as main characters (with most live-action originals typically featuring only one female in its main cast) in comparison to Disney Channel's original programs, which tend to feature an equal or nearly equal amount of main characters of either gender. New episodes of live-action original series are usually aired on Monday nights, while new episodes of animated original series air on Saturday mornings. In addition, Disney XD airs movies, but unlike Disney Channel, movies are typically not aired in prime time; instead, films generally air at 5 pm ET with double features airing a few times a week. The channel's first (and so far only) made-for-TV movie, Skyrunners, premiered on November 27, 2009.

In addition to full-length live-action and animated original series, the channel also debuts short series similar to those seen on Disney Channel during commercial breaks, such as Moises Rules, The Next X, and its spin-off The Next Winter X. These shows often follow other network shows and last about two to three minutes or sometimes fifteen minutes, with the exception of a few short-form series. Often, these shows are televised in the last two minutes of the program, with the exception of the Disney XD Shortstop, or following the ending of a movie. ESPN's SportsCenter provides youth-oriented sports updates periodically between shows. Edited segments of ABC's Wipeout are also broadcast.

In mid 2012, Disney created Disney Shows, a YouTube channel that hosts episodes of Disney Channel and Disney XD series and shorts. Disney XD series available include American Dragon: Jake Long, Kick Buttowski, Kickin' It, Pair of Kings, and Zeke and Luther.[1]

Programming blocks

Marvel Universe

On April 1, 2012, Disney XD launched a block called Marvel Universe, with the premiere of Ultimate Spider-Man, followed by the returning The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes. The block is a result of Disney's 2009 Marvel acquisition. The block also includes new short-form animation series and live-action interstitials.[2]

Shows

Season(s) Show First-Run Note
1 The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes April 1, 2012 - November 11, 2012 Ended in 2012 to be replaced by Avengers Assemble
2 Ultimate Spider-Man April 1, 2012 - present
1 Avengers Assemble premieres July 7, 2013 Continues from where The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes left off in 2012

Disney XD HD

Disney XD HD logo since 2009

Disney XD HD is the branding used for the high-definition feed of the network. It is offered on some cable providers, as well as both satellite providers and IPTV providers in the Disney/ABC television networks preferred HD picture format of 720p. The high-definition feed airs a limited amount of programming in high definition, mainly Disney XD's original programming as well as certain films and some episodes of Disney Channel series produced after 2009.

International channels

Disney XD, similarly born of a merger between Jetix and Toon Disney, is available around the world.

Asia Pacific

Disney XD is operated in India,[3] Japan, Malaysia, and Singapore. Its Future Plans Within 2013 Will operate in the Philippines, Indonesia, and The Rest of the South East Asian Region:===Asia=== Disney XD is operated in India,[4] Japan, Malaysia, and Singapore.[5][6]

Japan

Known as Toon Disney before 2009, Disney XD in Japan broadcasts programs in Japanese and English.[7]

Malaysia

Disney XD was launched in Malaysia on September 15, 2012. It is the first international channel for children in Malaysia to air on 2 separate channels, in the SD picture format and HD. The channel is available in four audio channels; English, Malay, Mandarin Chinese and Tamil.[8][9]

Canada

Disney XD was launched in Canada on June 1, 2011.[10]

Europe

In much of Europe the channel was known as Fox Kids until January 1, 2005, and Jetix until August 31, 2009. Multiple channels exist to serve different time zones, and countries, including Finland, France,[11] Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy,[12] Netherlands, Norway, Poland,[13] Spain,[14] Sweden, Turkey,[15] and the United Kingdom.

Latin America

Five Latin America Disney XD channels serve Central and Southern America. Countries served include Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, and Venezuela.

South Africa

Disney XD is broadcast in South Africa.[16]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Disney Shows". YouTube. Retrieved January 19, 2013.
  2. ^ "Disney XD preps block of Marvel shows: Premiere of 'Ultimate Spider-Man' to kick things off April 1". Chicago Tribune.
  3. ^ "Disney XD India". Retrieved January 3, 2013.
  4. ^ "Disney XD India". Retrieved January 3, 2013.
  5. ^ "BDA Singapore Launches Disney XD In Asia". BDA Creative Singapore. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
  6. ^ "BDA Singapore Launches Disney XD In Asia". BDA Creative Singapore. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
  7. ^ "Disney XD Japan". Retrieved November 29, 2012.
  8. ^ "Malaysia to premiere Disney XD". Kidscreen. July 19, 2012.
  9. ^ "Disney XD Di Malaysia!". GUA.com.my. July 17, 2012.
  10. ^ "ASTRAL LAUNCHES DISNEY XD JUNE 1, 2011 – KIDS' SPECIALTY CHANNEL AND MULTI-PLATFORM BRAND TO DEBUT ACROSS CANADA". CNW. March 11, 2011.
  11. ^ "Disney XD France". Retrieved November 29, 2012.
  12. ^ "Disney XD Italy". Retrieved November 29, 2012.
  13. ^ "Disney XD Poland". Retrieved November 29, 2012.
  14. ^ "Disney XD Spain". Retrieved November 29, 2012.
  15. ^ "Disney XD Turkey". Retrieved November 29, 2012.
  16. ^ "Disney XD South Africa". Retrieved November 29, 2012.