Disney Channel (Italy)

Disney Channel Italy
Launched	October 31, 1998
Owned by	The Walt Disney Company
Audience share	0.37% (0.15% for +1) (2011, [1])
Country	Italy
Headquarters	Milan, Italy
Sister channel(s)	Disney Junior Disney XD Disney in English
Timeshift service	Disney Channel +1 Disney Channel +2
Website	disneychannel.it
Availability
Terrestrial
Premium Gallery	LCN 321 LCN 322(+1)
Satellite
SKY Italia	Channel 613 Channel 614 (+1) Channel 615 (+2)

Disney Channel Italia is the Italian version of Disney Channel. Disney Channel Italy also includes a +1 hour timeshift service (Disney Channel +1), a +2 hours timeshift service (Disney Channel +2), a channel for pre-school children (Disney Junior), an English-audio channel with subtitles (Disney in English), and a channel for male teenagers (Disney XD). Soon, it will launch Disney Cinemagic.

History

On December 20, 1997 Disney Channel officially began broadcasting in Italian on Telepiù. The channel used the slogan La TV che accende la TV (The TV that turns on TV) but was quickly changed to Libera la tua Immaginazione (Free your Imagination)when the channel was launched in 1998.

Among the first programs on the channel were classic Disney cartoons, such as Timon & Pumbaa and Aladdin: The Series. It also showed classic Disney films and some Disney Channel Original Movies in Il Fantastico Mondo Disney (The Wonderful World of Disney) each evening at 20.30 (8:30pm). Also, every Saturday, a new film was shown.

New Millennium Re-brand and the Start of Live Presentation

On September 1999, Disney Channel Italy adopted the new logo and idents of Disney Channel UK (created by GÉDÉON) while still keeping the slogan Free your Imagination, but with the entry of the new logo (by CA Square) and the channel's new graphics in April 2003, the slogan was abandoned.

The 1999 re-brand also marks the launch of Disney Channel Italy's original live presentation program, Live Zone (hosted by Isabella Arrigoni and Massimiliano Ossini), where viewers can interact with the hosts and join various games. Other popular programs were Live Zone Musica, Live Zone da Scoprire, Live Zone da Ridere and A Star For You.

The channel has been available since the beginning on Stream and SKY Italia and even after their mergers. On December 24, 2004 Disney introduced Disney Channel +1, where all regular programs from Disney Channel are postponed an hour.

The 2003 Re-brand and the End of Live Programs

Live Zone ended in 2004, where it was replaced by Prime Time, led by the hosts of Live Zone, Isabella Arrigoni and Massimiliano Ossini. Even programs secondary to Live Zone were replaced by newer ones like Tok, Eta Beta, Skatenati and Quasi Gol and other programs were added, like Scooter and L'ora della Magia. In June 2005, all live shows were taken off air.

Prime Time gets a refresh in September 2005, with a new logo, new computer-generated graphics, and Isabella Arrigoni being the voice-over host that presented the programs. On February 2007, Prime Time changes its logo once again, and Patrizio Prata becomes the new voice-over host, although the set design and cartoons remained the same. In May 14, 2007, Prime Time ended and Disney Channel Italy changed its graphics to look like those of Disney Channel (US).

Today

In 2005, Disney Channel Italy began broadcasting the first of a new series called Quelli dell'intervallo, which led to the similar versions in the UK, U.S., Australia and other countries under the title As the Bell Rings. In 2006, Disney Channel Italy began airing many original language series from Disney Channel US.In Italy born Premieres Friday (Originally "Venerdì Premieres). On 1 October 2011 Disney Channel change the logo.They have new logo but have 4:3 instead 16:9.Since 25 October 2011 they have also 16:9.

Upcoming Series

• Madison High ^[2]
• Austin and Ally ^[3]
• Lights, Camera, Muppets!^{[citation needed]}
• Gravity Falls ^[4]
• Almost Naked Animals

References

1. ^ "Rapporto ANNO 2008". Auditel. http://www.auditel.it/doc/sintesiannuale2008.xls. 
2. ^ http://www.deadline.com/2010/11/disney-channel-preps-first-musical-series/#more-83717
3. ^ http://disneyinfonet.com/2010/12/08/disney-channel-orders-pilot-for-new-show/
4. ^ http://www.disneychannelmedianet.com/DNR/2010/doc/dc_new_120810.doc

External links

• Official site