MultiChoice and The Walt Disney Company added the brand-new Disney XD (DStv 304) channel today with another new channel Disney Junior (DStv 309) to follow on 1 June in a major expansion of Disney's presence in South Africa and across more TV channels in South Africa and across the African continent in new TV channel carriage deals that's been months in the making. TV with Thinus started reporting about it in October last year.
Disney XD that went live at 11:40 today on DStv's channel 304 will run for 7 days a week from 05:00 until 22:00 and will target those most elusive of creatures: those with a toad in the one pocket, unafraid to jump off of anything irrespective of how high and who sees the world as an adventure - boys between the ages of 6 and 14. Disney XD will immediately be an ad supported channel, and shouldn't find it difficult to get ad buyers who will clearly stand in line to book commercial airtime trying to reach this highly desirable demographic.
The addition of Disney XD (and Disney Junior in two and a half weeks that neither Disney nor MultiChoice is willing to confirm or talk about at this point) adds major cache to both MultiChoice's already sterling bouquet of youth TV channels, while Disney gets to expand it TV presence across Africa. After The Disney Channel (DStv 303) entered South Africa and Africa in partnership with MultiChoice five years ago this coming September, Disney now gets to funneling additional Disney TV channels that comes with an extremely high, already built-in, trust, entertainment and prestige value for parents and the respective target audience tykes who simply adore the Disney brand.
Disney XD is available on the DStv Premium as well as the DStv Compact bouquets. While The Dinsney Channel remains available to DStv Premium subscribers only, MultiChoice and Disney is now further leveraging the venerable Disney brand into millions more TV households just in South Africa. Disney is already the number one most watched and most desired TV channel for kids in South Africa according to TWDC Research conducted in 2010.
''Since its global launch in 2009 Disney XD has been a phenomenal success,'' says Maciej Bral, vice president for Disney Channels for the CEE and emerging markets regions. ''Over the past 20 months we have launched 14 Disney XD channels across the EMEA region and we're proud to be launching Disney XD in South Africa today,'' he says. Christine Service, country manager for The Walt Disney Company Africa says ''We're very proud of the success Disney in South Africa. Looking forward to the future we remain committed to investing in this market and continue to build not only our channel business but the wider Walt Disney Company.''
''Disney XD with its strong action-flavour will no doubt delight and enthral our younger viewers,'' says Aletta Alberts, general manager for content for MultiChoice South Africa.
ALSO READ: The Disney XD launch event started as a green brick road to drummers, bubblegum drinks and boy food.
ALSO READ: MultiChoice expanding its relationship with Disney.
ALSO READ: MultiChoice to add the new Disney Junior channel from 1 June.
