Disney Channels Worldwide

Disney Channels Worldwide was the trade name for the two units that oversee children and family television channels owned by The Walt Disney Company.

ABC Cable Networks Group, Inc., d/b/a Disney Channels Worldwide, was a subsidiary of Walt Disney Television, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. This subsidiary is headed by President/CCO Gary Marsh and is responsible for operating cable Disney Channels in the United States, such as Disney Channel, Disney XD, Disney Junior, plus Radio Disney, Disney Television Animation and It's a Laugh Productions. Disney Channels Worldwide oversaw all Disney channels worldwide until the organization of the Walt Disney Direct-to-Consumer & International segment on March 14, 2018 when the unit was split into two.

Disney Channels Worldwide international is a unit of Walt Disney Direct-to-Consumer and International that operates various children and family television channels around the world, including variations of the US channels plus Disney International HD, Dlife, and Hungama TV.

Disney Channel was originally established in the United States in 1983 as a premium channel, and has since converted to a basic service; in addition, Disney Channel's programming has also expanded internationally with the launch of various country-specific and regional versions of the channel, as well as program licensing agreements reached with television networks not bearing the Disney Channel brand.

Previous corporate names were: Walt Disney Entertainment, Inc. (1982–1983), The Disney Channel, Inc. (1983–1997), Disney Channel, Inc. (1997–2001).

Disney Channel, Inc.
On November 10, 1981, Walt Disney Productions and Westinghouse Broadcasting released that they had agreed to start a family-oriented cable television service. In 1982, Disney hired Alan Wagner to develop a cable channel.

By July 15, 1982, Disney incorporated Walt Disney Entertainment, Inc. which was renamed by January 28, 1983 to The Disney Channel, Inc. The channel, The Disney Channel, was launched in April 1983 with 16 hours of programming as a premium channel. The channel became profitable in January 1985,

20 months after launch, the channel moved into the home satellite dish market thus scrambling its signal. The channel started moving to the basic cable level on September 1, 1990 with TCI Montgomery Cablevision. In March 1995, the second Disney Channel began broadcasting in Taiwan while the third is launched in October for the United Kingdom.

By September 29, 1997, the corporate name was shortened to Disney Channel, Inc. Disney had hired Geraldine Laybourne in 1996 away from the Nickelodeon channel she founded for a kids channel codename ABZ that the media speculated to be a pre-school age channel. Laybourne dismissed this report. In December 1997, the Toon Disney channel was announced as a basic channel consisting of Disney animated programming. As of April 1, 1998, most of the international version are pay channels while Taiwan and Malaysia are ad supported and the USA is a basic channel. The Toon Disney Channel was launched on April 18, 1998 on the Disney Channel's 15 anniversary.

In 2000, the Playhouse Disney preschool channel was launched in the United Kingdom, while in the US the Playhouse Disney block was launched on the Disney Channel. In June 2001, Disney was looking into launch Playhouse as channel in the United States in 2002.

ABC Cable Networks Group
Disney Channel, Inc. changed its name to ABC Cable Networks Group, Inc. by January 31, 2001. In October 2003, ABC Family Worldwide was changed from a Disney COO direct reporting unit to being within the ABC Cable Networks Group. In early 2004, Disney Channel original programming leaders took over ABC Family's original movies unit temporarily as two ABC Family executive left the channel.

In January 2004, Fox Kids Europe, Fox Kids Latin America and ABC Cable Networks Group agreed to the Jetix programming alliance that would rebrand Fox Kids as Jetix for all blocks, channels and companies. ABC1 channel launched on United Kingdom digital terrestrial television platform on September 27, 2004.