The Walt Disney Company is rebranding its regional variant of the Disney Channel in German-speaking countries and expanding the network’s schedule with additional programming beyond the children’s genre.
Later this year, the Disney Channel becomes “Disney TV” and will onboard shows, movies and documentaries from some of the company’s sister brands, including FX, Marvel Studios and the Star Wars universe.
The free-to-air network has typically offered children’s programming similar to that of its stateside channel. The rebrand will maintain some kid-friendly shows during the day, with more grown-up programming in the afternoon, evening and late-night hours.
The rebrand to Disney TV involves the company’s network in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, where it is available on cable, free-to-air satellite and other TV platforms.
“We want to offer our audiences diversity, choice and exceptional storytelling across all our platforms,” Eun-Kyung Park, the Senior Vice President of Direct-to-Consumer & Networks and Country Manager in the DACH region, said in a statement on Friday. “The Disney TV schedule will expand our free-to-air offering in Germany with more content for adult target groups, complemented by carefully curated exclusive Disney+ content. At the same time, dedicated children’s programming blocks and popular family films will remain an integral part of the offering.”
The expanded programming schedule won’t just deliver a new variety of programming to German-speaking audiences, it will expand advertising opportunities in Germany, Austria and Switzerland to marketers who want to reach different viewership groups, the company affirmed.
No firm date was announced for the rebrand and revamped schedule.
Disney has a long history of providing its shows and movies in the Germanic-speaking DACH region. The company had a financial investment and programming partnership with RTL Group for its channel Super RTL until 2021, and its regional variant of the Disney Channel took over a channel slot formerly occupied by the kid-focused Das Vierte (The Fourth).
The linear Disney Channel is available within the Disney Plus app in German, Switzerland and Austria.
