Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Disney Channel shopping experience:

1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Disney Channel offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Disney Channel at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.

2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about

3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Disney Channel? Wrong! If the Disney Channel is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.

4. Questions - Got a question about Disney Channel then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....

5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Disney Channel? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Disney Channel and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.

6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Disney Channel wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.

7. Feedback - happy with your Disney Channel then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.

8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Disney Channel site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site

9. Contact - got a question about Disney Channel, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.

10. Payment - ready to pay for your Disney Channel, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.

{{Infobox TV channel|name= Disney Channel| logofile=Disney Channel 2002.svg | logosize=200px| launch=[April 18, [1983 in television| network=[Disney-ABC Television Group| owner=[The Walt Disney Company| Past names = The Disney Channel| sister names=[Toon Disney
[Playhouse Disney
[American Broadcasting Company
[ABC Family
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Disney Channel is a 24-hour general entertainment television network in the United States that offers television programming for children through original series and movies as well as third party programming. It is marketed to mostly young children, however in recent years the diversity of viewers has increased. Currently available on basic cable and satellite, Disney Channel is part of Disney-ABC Television Group, a division of The Walt Disney Company. The network is based in Burbank, California,and is a short distance from Disney's headquarters. Disney Channel is slated to begin broadcasting in High-definition television starting in early 2008 in television Disney to launch High-Def stations

History Beginning 1983 - 1989 Disney Channel's first broadcasting day aired on April 18, 1983 in television. At this time, Disney Channel was a Premium television channel and only aired 18 hours a day. The program that kicked off the channel's first day on the air was an episode of the 1950s-era Mickey Mouse Club. The first produced Disney Channel Original Series shown on the network included Good Morning, Mickey!, Donald Duck Presents, Contraption, Dumbo's Circus, You and Me Kid, EPCOT Magazine and Welcome to Pooh Corner. The original late night schedule featured reruns of the classic The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. Disney Channel received a special citation from the President of the United States Ronald Reagan in 1984 in television. From the inception, Disney Channel only aired from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. In 1986#December 1986 in television, Disney Channel started airing 24 hours. During the early years, Disney Channel aired several foreign animated series and movies including Asterix, The Raccoons, and Paddington Bear. The Australian Western (genre), Five Mile Creek, was shown during this time period also.

During the 1980s, the channel debuted a few programs that later became part of the cultural lexicon of sorts. Early on, in 1984 in television, the musically-oriented sitcom Kids Incorporated became a hit, about a pre-teen (and later teen-to-young adult) gang of friends who formed a pop group, mixing their everyday situations with variety-show and music video style performances. During its nine year run, the series spawned many future stars in both music and acting, the most notable being Martika (who went by her real name of Marta Marrero in the early seasons), eventual Party of Five co-stars Scott Wolf and Jennifer Love Hewitt (billed as Love Hewitt) and Fergie (singer) (who, of course, was credited as Stacy Ferguson).

1988 1988#November 1988 in television saw the premiere of the sitcom Good Morning, Miss Bliss, which was originally developed by Brandon Tartikoff for NBC. It starred Hayley Mills as a junior high schoolteacher and her day-to-day escapades with her students and faculty. While the sitcom was not a hit on The Disney Channel, it was cancelled and later retooled for its original network of conception, turning up on the NBC Saturday morning lineup in 1989#August 1989 in television as Saved by the Bell. The show became the most successful Saturday morning sitcom in history, making stars out of its original cast (Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Tiffani-Amber Thiessen among them), and running until 2000 in television with a "next-generation cast" (as Saved by the Bell: The New Class).

1989 In early 1989 in television, The Disney Channel revived one of the empire's early TV staples with The Mickey Mouse Club, which was an immediate hit and proved the basic Disney variety show formula could still work, unlike in the short-lived 1970s revival. The latest version contained many of the classic elements, from "theme days" to mouseketeer jackets (albeit updated), but the scripted and musical segments were hip and current. The early seasons of MMC (which became the official title by season 7) had an exclusive offering of musical numbers to recent hits, along with original material. The main scripted features included the continuing "show-within-a-show", Emerald Cove. Later, more on-set comedy skits were worked in. The show became a fixture on the late afternoon lineup alongside Kids Incorporated. MMC was just as blessed with a stellar young cast, launching more careers of today's big stars than the shows previously mentioned; Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and Justin Timberlake are just a few of the many "mice that soared".

1997: A New Identity In 1997, Disney Channel took on a revamped look and dropped the "The" in the network's name (However, promos often referred to the channel as simply "Disney" and the logo often omitted the "Channel" in the network's name also), and split the network into three programming blocks: Playhouse Disney, comprising of shows aimed at preschoolers; Vault Disney, featuring classic Disney material such as Zorro (TV series), The Mickey Mouse Club, the Disney anthology television series, older television specials and features such as The Love Bug; and the most distinct one, running from afternoon to late evening, called Zoog Disney. A new channel logo (which featured a 1930s-era Mickey Mouse on a black Mickey ear-shaped TV), was introduced at this time. They began to carry break interruptions (not advertising commercials, but promos for network programming).

Of the three blocks introduced in 1997, only Playhouse Disney continues to this day. As part of the network's 2002 re-brand campaign, the "Zoog" brand name was dropped, and Vault Disney was dropped (primarily to contribute to the network's new "hip" image).

The Zoog Disney Era: 1998-2002 While Disney Channel moved from premium cable to basic cable on January 1997, most of the design elements changed three years later. In 1998, Zoog Disney was introduced to Disney Channel meaning they would have two logos, the "Mickey Mouse Screen" logo, introduced in 1997, and the Zoog Disney logo (which used the "Mickey Mouse Screen" logo design with a spiral inside the screen and the word "ZOOG" in yellow lettering perched in front of the ears of the logo), introduced in 1998. The two logos coexisted from 1998 until 2002, when Zoog Disney was removed and Disney Channel introduced its current logo.

Zoog Disney was aimed at preteens and young teenagers up to the age of 15, and the block featured anthropomorphic characters called "Zoogs", who resembled robots (but the Zoog characters were given human voices). Zoog Disney used their website to connect viewers to their programs, allowing kids to interact with games, limited chat, and the possibility of having their comments and/or screen names appear on television (Shows on this block included Even Stevens, Lizzie McGuire, Smart Guy, The Famous Jett Jackson and So Weird.) By 2000, Disney Channel brought about a visible shift in its demographics, positioning itself as a channel for pre-teens, as opposed to aiming it at all ages.

Also around this time, Disney began running music specials under the banner "In Concert", which showcased pop acts such as 'N Sync, Backstreet Boys, Steps, and B*Witched.

From September 2001 to August 2002, the entire weekend lineup (except for the Vault Disney and Playhouse Disney lineups) was branded as "Zoog Weekendz". The Zoogs original look was one-dimensional, however, the Zoogs were redesigned in 2001, with a more three-dimensional design and mature voices, but were phased out after less than a year.

In 2001, Disney Channel entered into a deal with corporate cousin American Broadcasting Company to air its original programming. Lizzie McGuire and Even Stevens were the only Disney Channel originals on the lineup initially, but ABC now currently airs all of Disney Channel's active original live-action series and select active animated series, as well one live-action series from Toon Disney's Jetix. Power Rangers is currently the only Jetix show that ABC airs (the series originally aired on Fox Broadcasting Company from 1993 to 2002, one year after Disney bought Fox Family (formerly The Family Channel, now ABC Family) from Fox's parent company News Corporation and partner Haim Saban). However, some ABC affiliates currently refuse to clear Power Rangers due to lack of Educational/Informational content. Disney Channel's deal with ABC is limited to the network's Saturday morning lineup and does not include the broadcast of its original movies airing on ABC's Wonderful World of Disney.

From 2000 through 2003, ratings grew higher with such shows as Even Stevens, That's So Raven, Kim Possible, Lizzie McGuire and others. Lizzie McGuire became the network's banner show, and was the highest-rated program on the network. Reruns of Lizzie continued to outrate competing shows, including those from Disney Channel itself. This led to the termination of Vault Disney and all other classic Disney programming in September 2002.

To complement the change, Disney Channel changed their logo in October 2002 (this was partially to celebrate its then-upcoming 20th anniversary). The Zoog Disney identity was also merged with Disney Channel. Some functions of the channel's website contain games, polls and other special features that were found on the former Zoog Disney website, as a result of a merger of that site and DisneyChannel.com in 2002.

Today's Disney Channel: 2002-present In September 2002, Disney Channel was gradually remodeled once more. First on September 9th, the vintage material aired under the Vault Disney banner was discontinued in favor of same-day repeats of the channel's original programming and television syndication and as a result, primetime movies were also cut to one a night (from two). The channel also ceased producing drama and reality series, shifting focus to live-action comedies and animated series, and Disney Channel usually premieres about two or three new original series a year (typically two animated series and one live-action series). The current logo was implemented a month later.

Most of Disney Channel's current shows have one basic plot, such as The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, whose setting is a hotel.

While Disney Channel's intended target audience are preschoolers, pre-teens and young adolescents, the channel has gained mega popularity and also has viewers outside the main target audience and has even made teen idols out of some of the channel's stars. Notable examples include Hilary Duff (formerly of Lizzie McGuire), Shia LaBeouf (formerly of Even Stevens), Raven Symone (formerly of That's So Raven), Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Lucas Grabeel, Corbin Bleu and Monique Coleman of High School Musical and High School Musical 2 and Miley Cyrus of Hannah Montana, among others. The channel has become well known in recent years for its Disney Channel Original Series, and because of them, Disney Channel is one of the most-watched cable channels in the United States, with some series averaging around three million viewers (which is considered impressive for cable television).

That's So Raven made history as the first Disney Channel Original Series to go past the 65 episode mark, with a total of 100 episodes being broadcast. The Suite Life of Zack and Cody and Kim Possible have also gone past the 65 episode limit and it is rumored that Hannah Montana will go over the limit. This is a result of complaints from fans of Lizzie McGuire and Even Stevens through online message boards and forums opposed to the network stopping production of both series at 65 episodes even though they were extremely popular. The pre-teen programming usually does not heavily feature the "classic" Disney characters such as Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Pluto, and Goofy.

Also Lizzie McGuire and Even Stevens both do not air on the channel anymore due to being in syndication on WGN.

Programming Series produced by Walt Disney Television or production companies unrelated to the Walt Disney Company used to make up most of the schedule, but with the explosion of Disney Channel Original Series, less of these series air on the channel. The only non-original productions airing on Disney (not including the Playhouse Disney lineup) as of May 28 2007 are Boy Meets World, The Little Mermaid (TV series), Buzz Lightyear of Star Command and Timon & Pumbaa (TV series). Playhouse Disney airs weekday mornings from 6:00 am until 10:00 am and weekend mornings from 6:00 am until noon.

As of May 28, 2007, Disney Channel Original Series begin at 10:00 am on weekdays and continue to air until 6 a.m. the next day. The weekend schedule's starting time remains unchanged. Naturally, Sadie and Sister, Sister (TV series) have been the removed from the Disney Channel lineup. Other shows experienced time slot changes.

Disney Channel returned to a more normal schedule on September 4, 2007. Another major scheduling change bringing the animated shows back into the daylight hours is effective October 1, 2007.

Current Programming Blocks Daily Hannah Montana, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Cory in the House, Life with Derek, and That's So Raven are shown on a daily basis. Kim Possible and American Dragon: Jake Long will be airing daily. Check the listings for more information.

Fridays The Friday night was added in September 2006, this allows viewers to catch new episodes of shows on Friday and Saturday. On Friday, catch Hannah Montana (TV series) and Wizards of Waverly Place. The spot for Wizards of Waverly Place was originally taken by Cory in the House. The spot for Cory in the House was originally taken by The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. During the summer this spot will occasionally air Disney Channel movies, and spots for Disney Channel shows and specials.

Saturdays Again this block was added in September 2006 as a tie-in block with Friday nights. It featured new episodes of the animated series The Replacements (TV series) and American Dragon: Jake Long. Kim Possible and American Dragon: Jake Long occasionally aired new episodes in these slots before they were moved to earlier in the evening. Now The Suite Life of Zack and Cody and Cory in the House take the slots and the Saturday night block has faded away. This spot now occasionally airs new episodes of The Suite Life and Cory In The House when a movie is aired on Friday.

Music The Disney Channel has always been a main source for introducing the hottest stars in Hollywood. Disney viewers have been introduced to various music videos from the Jonas Brothers, Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus, The High School Musical Cast, The Cheetah Girls, T Squad, Hayden Panettiere, Evan Rachel Wood, Ashley Tisdale, Vanessa Hudgens, Hilary Duff,AnnaSophia Robb,and many more. Recently the Jonas Brothers have released their second album, Jonas Brothers. Miley Cyrus has released the second Hannah Montana soundtrack, which includes her very own debut CD with Hollywood Records.

Disney Channel Summer Disney Channel hosts special summer programming events every summer, usually each summer is themed to a Disney Channel Original series or labeled So Hot Summer! Features often include viewer participation in online events, special downloads from DisneyChannel.com, digital trading card trading, new episodes of Disney Channel Original Series and new Disney Channel Original Movies.

Disney Channel Games Debuted in 2006, the Disney Channel Games includes stars from Disney Channel Original Series and Movies. Disney Channel Games 2007 aired this summer 2007.

Back To Back Afternoons A new block on Disney Channel that debuted May 28, 2007 at 3:00 pm. This block airs two episodes of four different shows Monday-Friday, the block ends at 7:00pm leading into Disney Channel's Primetime Hour. Because of this Disney Channel has also expanded their lineup to start at

Blockbuster Fridays Debuted in 2007, starting June 15th, Disney Channel started premiering blockbuster, or theatrical, movies such as Ice Princess, Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over, Sky High, Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, The Haunted Mansion and more. These movies continued premiering until High School Musical 2. The Princess Diaries 2 did however, premiere one week after High School Musical 2.

Halloween Every year Disney Channel airs Halloween themed episodes of series and movies including Hocus Pocus (film), Halloweentown series, and Twitches during the Halloween season. This year in 2007 Disney Channel will air a Halloween themed episode of it's newest series Cory In the House. They will also air the sequel to Twitches, Twitches Too. and the new series Wizards of Waverly Place

Past Programming Blocks Adventures in Comedy Cartoon comedy series added in Summer 2006. The block consists of Lilo and Stitch: The Series, The Little Mermaid (TV series), Timon & Pumbaa (TV series), and Buzz Lightyear of Star Command. This block has since been dissolved into the regular schedule as of May 28 with the shows airing on the early morning. This block was removed on Monday, May 28th, 2007.

Magnetude This was added to Disney Channel summer of 2004. It aired every Friday and it involved 4 magnets that would host the show and air brand new episodes of Lilo & Stitch: The Series, Kim Possible, Brandy and Mr. Whiskers, etc. It was soon cancelled.

Disney Channel Diner An opportunity to watch some of Disney Channel’s most popular shows weekdays at 6/5 central. That's So Raven was aired on Monday, then Phil of the Future on Tuesday, then Hannah Montana (TV series) on Wednesday, then The Suite Life of Zack & Cody Thursday, and then Life with Derek on Friday. This block was added September 2006. This block was cancelled after major scheduling changes on May 28, 2007.

Hauntober Fest Every year from 2005 to 2006 Disney Channel aired Halloween themed episodes of series and movies including Hocus Pocus (film), Halloweentown series, and Twitches during the Halloween season. This year in 2007 the block will be replaced with a new halloween month Block called Halloween Month

Zoog Disney Zoog Disney was what put Disney Channel on the map in the late 90's, it featured anthropomorphic characters called Zoogs as the channels mascots. The main goal of this was to associate the TV shows on the channel with their website, (ZoogDisney.com), where there were games, and upcoming info on events on the channel, and the idea for posting people's names, high scores and comments on the channel originated here. Creating programming for all ages was also the aim, with shows like Aladdin for younger viewers, and So Weird for older viewers. Music was also an integral part of the channel during this era, where music video's, both from actual groups, and from their own shows like So Weird and "Backstage Pass" specials were aired for upcoming stars of the age, such as Britney Spears, N*SYNC, and B*Witched. This proved to be an incredibly popular idea. In 2001, the Zoogs were changed with the Digital on-screen graphic to give the channel a more 3-D look. Then in 2002, the Zoog brand was dropped completely.

Movies A movie is broadcast almost every night, but not necessarily a theatrically released feature film. Disney Channel airs new made-for-TV movies, called Disney Channel Original Movies (or DCOMs), about 8 to 10 times a year, and those are frequently broadcast during that time slot. In 2000 in film, Disney Channel claimed to produce a new movie each month; this only lasted throughout that same year.

On August 17, 2007, High School Musical 2 became the most-watched DCOM on its premiere; it brought 17.2 million viewers, beating ratings champion Jump In!, and also breaking cable records as the highest rated basic cable broadcast of all time.http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117970479.html?categoryid=14&cs=1http://www.accessatlanta.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/accessatlanta/radiotalk/entries/2007/08/18/819_hsm_2_break.html High School Musical and its series are the most successful DCOMs in popularity and awards, rising ratings for Disney Channel considerably since the first movie premiered in 2006.

The channel will occasionally secure the rights to air a picture released by a non-Disney studio, most notably Warner Bros.' Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (along with its sequels, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban), Universal Studios's Beethoven, Columbia-TriStar's Stuart Little and the same studio's Little Secrets which was owned by Samuel Goldwyn Films. Also, another non-Disney Christmas themed movie, The Polar Express (film) was aired.

During the 1980s and 1990s, movies made up most Disney's evening and overnight schedule. It now only airs usually around 12 hours of movies per week, occasionally 14 or 15. A Disney Channel Original Movie used to air twice in a row on the night of its Friday night premiere; this tradition ended with the premiere of High School Musical. Most movies airing on Disney Channel usually run in the 95 to 105-minute range, promos included.

Because of this, Disney airs filler programming following the movie:



In November 2006, the Disney Channel Movie opener was remixed.

Preemptions Disney Channel has preempted a number of films, including:

Little Secrets (largest preempted film)

My Favorite Martian (the film version of the TV series of the same name)

Annie (the 1999 made-for-TV version, however it has aired the 1982 film version)

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (the third film in the Harry Potter series)

Disney's The Kid (has aired only once on August 9, 2003)

Spy Kids (the first film in the series)

The Secret of NIMH (the first film in the series)

Thunderbirds (the 2004 film version)

Spin-Offs

Business Model Since Disney carries no commercials, it relies upon subscriber fees. As of 2002, that rate was approximately 73 cents per subscriber per month for Disney, versus 33 cents for Nickelodeon (TV channel) and 8 cents for Cartoon Network, according to Kagan World Media, the media analyst firm that is owned by Cable World parent Primedia. Cable World, "Disney's Ms. Lizz", http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0DIZ/is_2002_April_8/ai_87379851 Since that time the Disney Channel costs have increased to 80 cents, plus Disney Company benefits from other properties such as ESPN which collects $2.90 per subscriber per month. Broadcasting & Cable, "Billions in ESPN fees", http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6316995.html

Disney Channel has aired promotions for General Mills cereals, Yoplait, McDonald's, Kellogg's, and Wal-Mart. Though they are not regular commercials, they are tailored to Disney Channel as sponsors of Disney Channel. Other than these sponsors, Disney Channel's program breaks remain, for the most part, to consist mostly of promos for the Channel's programming as well as occasional promos for other Disney-ABC Television Group networks (except SOAPnet), music videos and public service announcements promoting physical activity.

Disney Channel program breaks and the programs themselves are also used to drive demand for other corporate Disney products and merchandising licensing tie-ins such as movies, Disney theme parks, CD sales, concerts and licensed logo products.{{cite web | last = Boorstin | first = Julia | coauthors = Wheat, Alynda | title = Disney's 'Tween Machine How the Disney Channel became must-see TV--and the company's unlikely cash cow. | publisher = CNNMoney.com | date = September 29, [ | url = http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2003/09/29/349896/index.htm | quote = ... charging cable providers more and using its stars to generate new revenue streams for the parent company | accessdate = 2007-09-05-->

See also

References ;" |-->>

External links

{{Infobox TV channel|name= Disney Channel| logofile=Disney Channel 2002.svg | logosize=200px| launch=[April 18, [1983 in television| network=[Disney-ABC Television Group| owner=[The Walt Disney Company| Past names = The Disney Channel| sister names=[Toon Disney
[Playhouse Disney
[American Broadcasting Company
[ABC Family
[SOAPnet| web=http://www.disneychannel.com/ DisneyChannel.com | terr avaiil=Available| terr serv 1= | terr chan 1= | sat serv 1=[DirecTV| sat chan 1=Channel 290/291| sat serv 2=[Dish Network| sat chan 2=Channel 172/173| sat serv 3=Choice TV| sat chan 3=Channel 70| sat serv 5=[Astro (Satellite TV) '''Indonesia'''| sat chan 5=Channel 12| sat serv 6=[StarHub CableTV ""Singapore""| sat chan 6=Channel 33| sat serv 7=[Digital+ Spain| sat chan 7=Channel 30| sat serv 8=[Digiturk Turkey| sat chan 8=Channel 67| cable serv 1=Available on most cable systems| cable chan 1=Check Local Listings for channels| -->

Disney Channel is a 24-hour general entertainment television network in the United States that offers television programming for children through original series and movies as well as third party programming. It is marketed to mostly young children, however in recent years the diversity of viewers has increased. Currently available on basic cable and satellite, Disney Channel is part of Disney-ABC Television Group, a division of The Walt Disney Company. The network is based in Burbank, California,and is a short distance from Disney's headquarters. Disney Channel is slated to begin broadcasting in High-definition television starting in early 2008 in television Disney to launch High-Def stations

History Beginning 1983 - 1989 Disney Channel's first broadcasting day aired on April 18, 1983 in television. At this time, Disney Channel was a Premium television channel and only aired 18 hours a day. The program that kicked off the channel's first day on the air was an episode of the 1950s-era Mickey Mouse Club. The first produced Disney Channel Original Series shown on the network included Good Morning, Mickey!, Donald Duck Presents, Contraption, Dumbo's Circus, You and Me Kid, EPCOT Magazine and Welcome to Pooh Corner. The original late night schedule featured reruns of the classic The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. Disney Channel received a special citation from the President of the United States Ronald Reagan in 1984 in television. From the inception, Disney Channel only aired from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. In 1986#December 1986 in television, Disney Channel started airing 24 hours. During the early years, Disney Channel aired several foreign animated series and movies including Asterix, The Raccoons, and Paddington Bear. The Australian Western (genre), Five Mile Creek, was shown during this time period also.

During the 1980s, the channel debuted a few programs that later became part of the cultural lexicon of sorts. Early on, in 1984 in television, the musically-oriented sitcom Kids Incorporated became a hit, about a pre-teen (and later teen-to-young adult) gang of friends who formed a pop group, mixing their everyday situations with variety-show and music video style performances. During its nine year run, the series spawned many future stars in both music and acting, the most notable being Martika (who went by her real name of Marta Marrero in the early seasons), eventual Party of Five co-stars Scott Wolf and Jennifer Love Hewitt (billed as Love Hewitt) and Fergie (singer) (who, of course, was credited as Stacy Ferguson).

1988 1988#November 1988 in television saw the premiere of the sitcom Good Morning, Miss Bliss, which was originally developed by Brandon Tartikoff for NBC. It starred Hayley Mills as a junior high schoolteacher and her day-to-day escapades with her students and faculty. While the sitcom was not a hit on The Disney Channel, it was cancelled and later retooled for its original network of conception, turning up on the NBC Saturday morning lineup in 1989#August 1989 in television as Saved by the Bell. The show became the most successful Saturday morning sitcom in history, making stars out of its original cast (Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Tiffani-Amber Thiessen among them), and running until 2000 in television with a "next-generation cast" (as Saved by the Bell: The New Class).

1989 In early 1989 in television, The Disney Channel revived one of the empire's early TV staples with The Mickey Mouse Club, which was an immediate hit and proved the basic Disney variety show formula could still work, unlike in the short-lived 1970s revival. The latest version contained many of the classic elements, from "theme days" to mouseketeer jackets (albeit updated), but the scripted and musical segments were hip and current. The early seasons of MMC (which became the official title by season 7) had an exclusive offering of musical numbers to recent hits, along with original material. The main scripted features included the continuing "show-within-a-show", Emerald Cove. Later, more on-set comedy skits were worked in. The show became a fixture on the late afternoon lineup alongside Kids Incorporated. MMC was just as blessed with a stellar young cast, launching more careers of today's big stars than the shows previously mentioned; Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and Justin Timberlake are just a few of the many "mice that soared".

1997: A New Identity In 1997, Disney Channel took on a revamped look and dropped the "The" in the network's name (However, promos often referred to the channel as simply "Disney" and the logo often omitted the "Channel" in the network's name also), and split the network into three programming blocks: Playhouse Disney, comprising of shows aimed at preschoolers; Vault Disney, featuring classic Disney material such as Zorro (TV series), The Mickey Mouse Club, the Disney anthology television series, older television specials and features such as The Love Bug; and the most distinct one, running from afternoon to late evening, called Zoog Disney. A new channel logo (which featured a 1930s-era Mickey Mouse on a black Mickey ear-shaped TV), was introduced at this time. They began to carry break interruptions (not advertising commercials, but promos for network programming).

Of the three blocks introduced in 1997, only Playhouse Disney continues to this day. As part of the network's 2002 re-brand campaign, the "Zoog" brand name was dropped, and Vault Disney was dropped (primarily to contribute to the network's new "hip" image).

The Zoog Disney Era: 1998-2002 While Disney Channel moved from premium cable to basic cable on January 1997, most of the design elements changed three years later. In 1998, Zoog Disney was introduced to Disney Channel meaning they would have two logos, the "Mickey Mouse Screen" logo, introduced in 1997, and the Zoog Disney logo (which used the "Mickey Mouse Screen" logo design with a spiral inside the screen and the word "ZOOG" in yellow lettering perched in front of the ears of the logo), introduced in 1998. The two logos coexisted from 1998 until 2002, when Zoog Disney was removed and Disney Channel introduced its current logo.

Zoog Disney was aimed at preteens and young teenagers up to the age of 15, and the block featured anthropomorphic characters called "Zoogs", who resembled robots (but the Zoog characters were given human voices). Zoog Disney used their website to connect viewers to their programs, allowing kids to interact with games, limited chat, and the possibility of having their comments and/or screen names appear on television (Shows on this block included Even Stevens, Lizzie McGuire, Smart Guy, The Famous Jett Jackson and So Weird.) By 2000, Disney Channel brought about a visible shift in its demographics, positioning itself as a channel for pre-teens, as opposed to aiming it at all ages.

Also around this time, Disney began running music specials under the banner "In Concert", which showcased pop acts such as 'N Sync, Backstreet Boys, Steps, and B*Witched.

From September 2001 to August 2002, the entire weekend lineup (except for the Vault Disney and Playhouse Disney lineups) was branded as "Zoog Weekendz". The Zoogs original look was one-dimensional, however, the Zoogs were redesigned in 2001, with a more three-dimensional design and mature voices, but were phased out after less than a year.

In 2001, Disney Channel entered into a deal with corporate cousin American Broadcasting Company to air its original programming. Lizzie McGuire and Even Stevens were the only Disney Channel originals on the lineup initially, but ABC now currently airs all of Disney Channel's active original live-action series and select active animated series, as well one live-action series from Toon Disney's Jetix. Power Rangers is currently the only Jetix show that ABC airs (the series originally aired on Fox Broadcasting Company from 1993 to 2002, one year after Disney bought Fox Family (formerly The Family Channel, now ABC Family) from Fox's parent company News Corporation and partner Haim Saban). However, some ABC affiliates currently refuse to clear Power Rangers due to lack of Educational/Informational content. Disney Channel's deal with ABC is limited to the network's Saturday morning lineup and does not include the broadcast of its original movies airing on ABC's Wonderful World of Disney.

From 2000 through 2003, ratings grew higher with such shows as Even Stevens, That's So Raven, Kim Possible, Lizzie McGuire and others. Lizzie McGuire became the network's banner show, and was the highest-rated program on the network. Reruns of Lizzie continued to outrate competing shows, including those from Disney Channel itself. This led to the termination of Vault Disney and all other classic Disney programming in September 2002.

To complement the change, Disney Channel changed their logo in October 2002 (this was partially to celebrate its then-upcoming 20th anniversary). The Zoog Disney identity was also merged with Disney Channel. Some functions of the channel's website contain games, polls and other special features that were found on the former Zoog Disney website, as a result of a merger of that site and DisneyChannel.com in 2002.

Today's Disney Channel: 2002-present In September 2002, Disney Channel was gradually remodeled once more. First on September 9th, the vintage material aired under the Vault Disney banner was discontinued in favor of same-day repeats of the channel's original programming and television syndication and as a result, primetime movies were also cut to one a night (from two). The channel also ceased producing drama and reality series, shifting focus to live-action comedies and animated series, and Disney Channel usually premieres about two or three new original series a year (typically two animated series and one live-action series). The current logo was implemented a month later.

Most of Disney Channel's current shows have one basic plot, such as The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, whose setting is a hotel.

While Disney Channel's intended target audience are preschoolers, pre-teens and young adolescents, the channel has gained mega popularity and also has viewers outside the main target audience and has even made teen idols out of some of the channel's stars. Notable examples include Hilary Duff (formerly of Lizzie McGuire), Shia LaBeouf (formerly of Even Stevens), Raven Symone (formerly of That's So Raven), Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Lucas Grabeel, Corbin Bleu and Monique Coleman of High School Musical and High School Musical 2 and Miley Cyrus of Hannah Montana, among others. The channel has become well known in recent years for its Disney Channel Original Series, and because of them, Disney Channel is one of the most-watched cable channels in the United States, with some series averaging around three million viewers (which is considered impressive for cable television).

That's So Raven made history as the first Disney Channel Original Series to go past the 65 episode mark, with a total of 100 episodes being broadcast. The Suite Life of Zack and Cody and Kim Possible have also gone past the 65 episode limit and it is rumored that Hannah Montana will go over the limit. This is a result of complaints from fans of Lizzie McGuire and Even Stevens through online message boards and forums opposed to the network stopping production of both series at 65 episodes even though they were extremely popular. The pre-teen programming usually does not heavily feature the "classic" Disney characters such as Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Pluto, and Goofy.

Also Lizzie McGuire and Even Stevens both do not air on the channel anymore due to being in syndication on WGN.

Programming Series produced by Walt Disney Television or production companies unrelated to the Walt Disney Company used to make up most of the schedule, but with the explosion of Disney Channel Original Series, less of these series air on the channel. The only non-original productions airing on Disney (not including the Playhouse Disney lineup) as of May 28 2007 are Boy Meets World, The Little Mermaid (TV series), Buzz Lightyear of Star Command and Timon & Pumbaa (TV series). Playhouse Disney airs weekday mornings from 6:00 am until 10:00 am and weekend mornings from 6:00 am until noon.

As of May 28, 2007, Disney Channel Original Series begin at 10:00 am on weekdays and continue to air until 6 a.m. the next day. The weekend schedule's starting time remains unchanged. Naturally, Sadie and Sister, Sister (TV series) have been the removed from the Disney Channel lineup. Other shows experienced time slot changes.

Disney Channel returned to a more normal schedule on September 4, 2007. Another major scheduling change bringing the animated shows back into the daylight hours is effective October 1, 2007.

Current Programming Blocks Daily Hannah Montana, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Cory in the House, Life with Derek, and That's So Raven are shown on a daily basis. Kim Possible and American Dragon: Jake Long will be airing daily. Check the listings for more information.

Fridays The Friday night was added in September 2006, this allows viewers to catch new episodes of shows on Friday and Saturday. On Friday, catch Hannah Montana (TV series) and Wizards of Waverly Place. The spot for Wizards of Waverly Place was originally taken by Cory in the House. The spot for Cory in the House was originally taken by The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. During the summer this spot will occasionally air Disney Channel movies, and spots for Disney Channel shows and specials.

Saturdays Again this block was added in September 2006 as a tie-in block with Friday nights. It featured new episodes of the animated series The Replacements (TV series) and American Dragon: Jake Long. Kim Possible and American Dragon: Jake Long occasionally aired new episodes in these slots before they were moved to earlier in the evening. Now The Suite Life of Zack and Cody and Cory in the House take the slots and the Saturday night block has faded away. This spot now occasionally airs new episodes of The Suite Life and Cory In The House when a movie is aired on Friday.

Music The Disney Channel has always been a main source for introducing the hottest stars in Hollywood. Disney viewers have been introduced to various music videos from the Jonas Brothers, Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus, The High School Musical Cast, The Cheetah Girls, T Squad, Hayden Panettiere, Evan Rachel Wood, Ashley Tisdale, Vanessa Hudgens, Hilary Duff,AnnaSophia Robb,and many more. Recently the Jonas Brothers have released their second album, Jonas Brothers. Miley Cyrus has released the second Hannah Montana soundtrack, which includes her very own debut CD with Hollywood Records.

Disney Channel Summer Disney Channel hosts special summer programming events every summer, usually each summer is themed to a Disney Channel Original series or labeled So Hot Summer! Features often include viewer participation in online events, special downloads from DisneyChannel.com, digital trading card trading, new episodes of Disney Channel Original Series and new Disney Channel Original Movies.

Disney Channel Games Debuted in 2006, the Disney Channel Games includes stars from Disney Channel Original Series and Movies. Disney Channel Games 2007 aired this summer 2007.

Back To Back Afternoons A new block on Disney Channel that debuted May 28, 2007 at 3:00 pm. This block airs two episodes of four different shows Monday-Friday, the block ends at 7:00pm leading into Disney Channel's Primetime Hour. Because of this Disney Channel has also expanded their lineup to start at

Blockbuster Fridays Debuted in 2007, starting June 15th, Disney Channel started premiering blockbuster, or theatrical, movies such as Ice Princess, Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over, Sky High, Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, The Haunted Mansion and more. These movies continued premiering until High School Musical 2. The Princess Diaries 2 did however, premiere one week after High School Musical 2.

Halloween Every year Disney Channel airs Halloween themed episodes of series and movies including Hocus Pocus (film), Halloweentown series, and Twitches during the Halloween season. This year in 2007 Disney Channel will air a Halloween themed episode of it's newest series Cory In the House. They will also air the sequel to Twitches, Twitches Too. and the new series Wizards of Waverly Place

Past Programming Blocks Adventures in Comedy Cartoon comedy series added in Summer 2006. The block consists of Lilo and Stitch: The Series, The Little Mermaid (TV series), Timon & Pumbaa (TV series), and Buzz Lightyear of Star Command. This block has since been dissolved into the regular schedule as of May 28 with the shows airing on the early morning. This block was removed on Monday, May 28th, 2007.

Magnetude This was added to Disney Channel summer of 2004. It aired every Friday and it involved 4 magnets that would host the show and air brand new episodes of Lilo & Stitch: The Series, Kim Possible, Brandy and Mr. Whiskers, etc. It was soon cancelled.

Disney Channel Diner An opportunity to watch some of Disney Channel’s most popular shows weekdays at 6/5 central. That's So Raven was aired on Monday, then Phil of the Future on Tuesday, then Hannah Montana (TV series) on Wednesday, then The Suite Life of Zack & Cody Thursday, and then Life with Derek on Friday. This block was added September 2006. This block was cancelled after major scheduling changes on May 28, 2007.

Hauntober Fest Every year from 2005 to 2006 Disney Channel aired Halloween themed episodes of series and movies including Hocus Pocus (film), Halloweentown series, and Twitches during the Halloween season. This year in 2007 the block will be replaced with a new halloween month Block called Halloween Month

Zoog Disney Zoog Disney was what put Disney Channel on the map in the late 90's, it featured anthropomorphic characters called Zoogs as the channels mascots. The main goal of this was to associate the TV shows on the channel with their website, (ZoogDisney.com), where there were games, and upcoming info on events on the channel, and the idea for posting people's names, high scores and comments on the channel originated here. Creating programming for all ages was also the aim, with shows like Aladdin for younger viewers, and So Weird for older viewers. Music was also an integral part of the channel during this era, where music video's, both from actual groups, and from their own shows like So Weird and "Backstage Pass" specials were aired for upcoming stars of the age, such as Britney Spears, N*SYNC, and B*Witched. This proved to be an incredibly popular idea. In 2001, the Zoogs were changed with the Digital on-screen graphic to give the channel a more 3-D look. Then in 2002, the Zoog brand was dropped completely.

Movies A movie is broadcast almost every night, but not necessarily a theatrically released feature film. Disney Channel airs new made-for-TV movies, called Disney Channel Original Movies (or DCOMs), about 8 to 10 times a year, and those are frequently broadcast during that time slot. In 2000 in film, Disney Channel claimed to produce a new movie each month; this only lasted throughout that same year.

On August 17, 2007, High School Musical 2 became the most-watched DCOM on its premiere; it brought 17.2 million viewers, beating ratings champion Jump In!, and also breaking cable records as the highest rated basic cable broadcast of all time.http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117970479.html?categoryid=14&cs=1http://www.accessatlanta.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/accessatlanta/radiotalk/entries/2007/08/18/819_hsm_2_break.html High School Musical and its series are the most successful DCOMs in popularity and awards, rising ratings for Disney Channel considerably since the first movie premiered in 2006.

The channel will occasionally secure the rights to air a picture released by a non-Disney studio, most notably Warner Bros.' Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (along with its sequels, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban), Universal Studios's Beethoven, Columbia-TriStar's Stuart Little and the same studio's Little Secrets which was owned by Samuel Goldwyn Films. Also, another non-Disney Christmas themed movie, The Polar Express (film) was aired.

During the 1980s and 1990s, movies made up most Disney's evening and overnight schedule. It now only airs usually around 12 hours of movies per week, occasionally 14 or 15. A Disney Channel Original Movie used to air twice in a row on the night of its Friday night premiere; this tradition ended with the premiere of High School Musical. Most movies airing on Disney Channel usually run in the 95 to 105-minute range, promos included.

Because of this, Disney airs filler programming following the movie:



In November 2006, the Disney Channel Movie opener was remixed.

Preemptions Disney Channel has preempted a number of films, including:

Little Secrets (largest preempted film)

My Favorite Martian (the film version of the TV series of the same name)

Annie (the 1999 made-for-TV version, however it has aired the 1982 film version)

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (the third film in the Harry Potter series)

Disney's The Kid (has aired only once on August 9, 2003)

Spy Kids (the first film in the series)

The Secret of NIMH (the first film in the series)

Thunderbirds (the 2004 film version)

Spin-Offs

Business Model Since Disney carries no commercials, it relies upon subscriber fees. As of 2002, that rate was approximately 73 cents per subscriber per month for Disney, versus 33 cents for Nickelodeon (TV channel) and 8 cents for Cartoon Network, according to Kagan World Media, the media analyst firm that is owned by Cable World parent Primedia. Cable World, "Disney's Ms. Lizz", http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0DIZ/is_2002_April_8/ai_87379851 Since that time the Disney Channel costs have increased to 80 cents, plus Disney Company benefits from other properties such as ESPN which collects $2.90 per subscriber per month. Broadcasting & Cable, "Billions in ESPN fees", http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6316995.html

Disney Channel has aired promotions for General Mills cereals, Yoplait, McDonald's, Kellogg's, and Wal-Mart. Though they are not regular commercials, they are tailored to Disney Channel as sponsors of Disney Channel. Other than these sponsors, Disney Channel's program breaks remain, for the most part, to consist mostly of promos for the Channel's programming as well as occasional promos for other Disney-ABC Television Group networks (except SOAPnet), music videos and public service announcements promoting physical activity.

Disney Channel program breaks and the programs themselves are also used to drive demand for other corporate Disney products and merchandising licensing tie-ins such as movies, Disney theme parks, CD sales, concerts and licensed logo products.{{cite web | last = Boorstin | first = Julia | coauthors = Wheat, Alynda | title = Disney's 'Tween Machine How the Disney Channel became must-see TV--and the company's unlikely cash cow. | publisher = CNNMoney.com | date = September 29, [ | url = http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2003/09/29/349896/index.htm | quote = ... charging cable providers more and using its stars to generate new revenue streams for the parent company | accessdate = 2007-09-05-->

See also

References ;" |-->>

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