Disney Jr. (Latin American TV channel)

Disney Jr.
Broadcast area	Hispanic America; Brazil; Caribbean;
Headquarters	Buenos Aires, Argentina; Santiago, Chile; Bogotá, Colombia; Mexico City, Mexico;
Programming
Language(s)	Spanish; English (via SAP);
Picture format	1080i HDTV; (downscaled to 480i/576i for the SDTV feed);
Ownership
Owner	Disney Media Networks Latin America (The Walt Disney Company Latin America)
Sister channels	Disney Channel; Star Channel; Cinecanal; FX; National Geographic;
History
Launched	June 1, 2008; 16 years ago (Hispanic America; as Playhouse Disney); September 5, 2008; 16 years ago (Brazil); April 1, 2011; 13 years ago (as Disney Junior);
Closed	April 1, 2022; 2 years ago (Brazil);
Former names	Playhouse Disney Channel (2008–2011); Disney Junior (2011-2024)
Links
Website	disneylatino.com/tv

Disney Jr. is a cable and satellite television channel in Hispanic America. It is the local variant of the American channel of the same name. It is broadcast in two feeds: North Zone and South Zone. It is marketed to preschoolers. Disney Jr. is operated by Disney Media Networks Latin America; part of The Walt Disney Company Latin America.

It was launched on June 1, 2008, as Playhouse Disney Channel.^[1] Formerly it only was a programming block in the mornings of Disney Channel Latin America, where it still is a programming block, as Disney Jr. en/no Disney Channel. The programs are very similar to the Disney Jr. channel and Disney Jr. on Disney Channel block in the United States. However, the channel also airs non-original programming.

On December 23, 2010 The Walt Disney Company Latin America announced that the channel would be replaced by Disney Junior sometime in 2011,^[2] and the relaunch happened on April 1, 2011, coinciding with the premiere of The Garden of Clarilu.

History

As Playhouse Disney (2008–2011)

The channel started as a programming block in the mornings of Disney Channel Latin America airing original programming focused on preschoolers. An original production, produced by RGB Entertainment, named "La Casa de Playhouse Disney" (Playhouse Disney's House) aired on the block, with two hosts reading stories and playing games with kids, as well as introducing the series.

On June 1, 2008, Disney Media Networks Latin America launched Playhouse Disney Channel as a 24-hour independent channel, initially only in Argentina and Mexico, eventually reaching more of Latin America.^[1] A few months later on September 5, 2008 Playhouse Disney was launched in Brazil.^[3]

As Disney Junior (2011–present)

File:Disney Junior logo.svg

Disney Junior logo used in Latin America from 2011 to 2024

On December 23, 2010, The Walt Disney Company Latin America announced that Playhouse Disney Channel would be replaced by Disney Junior sometime in 2011.^[2] The channel keeps up with 24-hour of programming aimed to preschoolers and received new online services which will allow seeing entire episodes, musical videos and other content in websites. The new Disney Junior also received mobile services.^[2]

Closure

The Brazilian feed of Disney Junior was closed on March 31, 2022,^[4] including the Latin America's Disney XD,^[5] marked their first Disney channels that closed in the Americas; all due to the company's restructuring policy, along with the Latin American versions of Nat Geo Wild, Nat Geo Kids, Star Life and FXM,^[5] and Fox Life in the United States.^[6] Disney Junior would still remain to broadcast in the Hispanic America countries.

However, Disney Junior programs will still be shown on Disney Channel Brazil's morning block "Disney Junior no Disney Channel" (Disney Junior on Disney Channel), and the streaming service Disney+.

Feeds

Disney Jr. Latin America is divided into two feeds for its different transmissions, each with different schedules and hosts.

List of Available Feeds
Feed Name	Country/Region	Headquarters	Time Zone(s)	Launch Date	Languages
Disney Jr. North	Caribbean	Bogotá, Colombia Mexico City, Mexico	Mexico – CT (UTC−06:00/UTC−05:00 DST) Colombia – COT (UTC−05:00)	June 1, 2008	Spanish English (via SAP)
	Central America
	Colombia
	Dominican Republic
	Mexico
	Venezuela
Disney Jr. South	Argentina	Buenos Aires, Argentina Santiago, Chile	Argentina – ART (UTC−03:00) Chile – CLT/CLST (UTC−04:00/UTC−03:00 DST)
	Bolivia
	Chile
	Ecuador
	Paraguay
	Peru
	Uruguay

Defunct


Feed Name	Country/Region	Headquarters	Time Zone(s)	Active Date	Languages
Disney Junior Brazil	Brazil	São Paulo, Brazil	Brazil – BRT (UTC−03:00)	April 1, 2011 – April 1, 2022^[4]	Portuguese English (via SAP)

Programming

Website

The website was launched on June 1, 2008, along with the channel and replacing the mini-website of the programming block on Disney Channel. There are two feeds, North Zone and South Zone.

Brazil had its own website, Disney.com.br. Inside the website, each series had its own mini-website with information and downloads about the show. Different games and activities were also available. The users could listen to music from the shows, read stories or view programming.

Disney Junior Video

Disney Junior Video was a video service where users can see the programming of the channel. It used the same engine and similar design to Disney Channel Play in Disney Channel Latin America.

References

^ ^a ^b "Disney lanzó Playhouse Disney Channel" [Disney launched Playhouse Disney Channel]. PRODU (in Spanish). June 2, 2008. Archived from the original on February 21, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Disney Junior". Archived from the original on February 16, 2014. Retrieved April 10, 2012.
^ "TVA traz para o Brasil o Playhouse Disney Channel, para crianças de 2 a 5 anos". O Globo (in Brazilian Portuguese). September 6, 2008. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
^ ^a ^b Jungbluth, Marcos (January 11, 2022). "Disney planeja descontinuar Disney Junior e lançará Cinecanal no Brasil" [Disney plans to discontinue Disney Junior and will launch Cinecanal in Brazil.]. TVLaint (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on January 12, 2022. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
^ ^a ^b "Disney cesará transmisiones de los canales Disney XD, Nat Geo Wild, Nat Geo Kids, FX Movies y Star Life en Latinoamérica - TVLaint" [Disney will cease transmissions of Disney XD, Nat Geo Wild, Nat Geo Kids, FX Movies and Star Life channels in Latin America.]. TVLaint (in Spanish). January 10, 2022. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
^ "Fox Life - Ceasing distribution effective March 31, 2022". National Cable Television Cooperative (US). Archived from the original on January 9, 2022. Retrieved March 5, 2022.

External links

Official website

[:1-1] "Disney lanzó Playhouse Disney Channel" [Disney launched Playhouse Disney Channel]. PRODU (in Spanish). June 2, 2008. Archived from the original on February 21, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2022.

[junior-2] "Disney Junior". Archived from the original on February 16, 2014. Retrieved April 10, 2012.

[3] "TVA traz para o Brasil o Playhouse Disney Channel, para crianças de 2 a 5 anos". O Globo (in Brazilian Portuguese). September 6, 2008. Retrieved July 31, 2022.

[:0-4] Jungbluth, Marcos (January 11, 2022). "Disney planeja descontinuar Disney Junior e lançará Cinecanal no Brasil" [Disney plans to discontinue Disney Junior and will launch Cinecanal in Brazil.]. TVLaint (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on January 12, 2022. Retrieved January 30, 2022.

[:2-5] "Disney cesará transmisiones de los canales Disney XD, Nat Geo Wild, Nat Geo Kids, FX Movies y Star Life en Latinoamérica - TVLaint" [Disney will cease transmissions of Disney XD, Nat Geo Wild, Nat Geo Kids, FX Movies and Star Life channels in Latin America.]. TVLaint (in Spanish). January 10, 2022. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022. Retrieved February 18, 2022.

[6] "Fox Life - Ceasing distribution effective March 31, 2022". National Cable Television Cooperative (US). Archived from the original on January 9, 2022. Retrieved March 5, 2022.

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