Corus Entertainment says it has secured the Canadian licensing rights to the Disney Channel’s content.
Starting in September, the Toronto-based company will offer the Disney Channel for children six to 14.
Corus will also have Canadian rights to streaming content and ad-supported video on demand for certain programs.
Disney Channel joins other Corus specialty TV channels geared to young audiences, including YTV, Teletoon, and ABC Spark.
The company didn’t disclose financial details of the multi-year agreement.
Disney has had a content agreement with Halifax-based DHX Media, which entered the specialty TV business last year when it acquired the Family channel and two other channels.
“While Disney programming has aired before in Canada, this is the first time Canadian audiences will be treated to the full Disney Channel experience,” Corus said Wednesday in an email.
“Current and new series will be featured on Disney Channel when the service launches on Sept. 1.”
In the United States, Disney Channel is available in about 96 million homes.
In Canada, Disney programs had been available through Family, formerly part of the Astral Media lineup of specialty channels.
BCE bought Astral and sold Family to DHX Media, which creates and distributes content for children and youth.
DHX announced Wednesday that it will rebrand the three Family channels in its television division starting in November.
The channel targeting kids six to 12 will be called Family XTRM and the channels for younger kids two to six will be rebranded Family Junior and Famille Junior.
DHX said it will begin a new lineup in January, but until then it will continue to broadcast Disney content including the series Liv and Maddie — which Corus identified as one of the programs that will be on its Disney Channel.
