Corus launching Disney Channel in Canada

Canadian media giant Corus has struck a deal with Disney and will launch Disney Channel in Canada.

The news comes on the same day DHX announced it was phasing out the Disney brand from its Disney XD and Disney Junior networks and rebranding them under the Family Channel umbrella.

Canadian regulation means specialty channels must have a domestic owner and Corus has struck a licensing deal Disney/ABC Television Group for kids and family content, allowing it roll out the channel.

The 6-to-14-skewed channel will launch on September 1, 2015 with shows including K.C. Undercover, Girl Meets World, Austin & Ally, Liv and Maddie. The agreement also covers streaming and ad-supported video-on-demand rights for some programmes.

Corus said that with the Disney rights in hand, it anticipates launching other linear channels from the Disney stable. It already runs ABC Spark, a Canadian version of the US Disney cable net ABC Family.

“We are very excited to take our partnership with the Disney/ABC Television Group to the next level, and proud to be forging a new course for the iconic Disney Channel brand in Canada,” said Doug Murphy, president and CEO of Corus Entertainment. “We look forward to delivering the full Disney Channel experience to families across the country.”

In the US, Disney Channel is a staple of the kids payTV world and is distributed in 96 million homes. Corus meanwhile owns the YTV and Teletoon kids channel brands.