SKY customers have been warned of some big changes to the TV guide coming today as a huge channel returns five years after being axed.
The much-loved brand will return to all Sky platforms, including Sky+, Sky Q, Sky Glass and Sky Stream.
And it’s a big brand that will delight the little ones.
Disney Jr has made a comeback as a traditional linear broadcast channel in the UK.
It was shut down back in 2020 along with the other Disney channels as part of the entertainment giant’s shift towards streaming on Disney+.
The channel will once again cater to pre-school children aged between two and six-years old.
RIGHT ON Q
Sky Q customers get surprise FREE TV upgrade with three major channel changes
BIG PICTURE
ITV in talks to sell part of its business to Sky for £1.6billion
Shows on Disney Jr include Mickey Mouse Clubhouse+, Marvel’s Spidey and his Amazing Friends and Bluey.
But Disney Jr will only return to Sky – not on its sister streaming service NOW, nor rival Virgin Media.
You can only get Disney Jr if you have the Sky Kids add-on package, which costs £8.
The relaunch has triggered a reshuffle of channel numbers on Sky Glass and Sky Stream.
Disney Jr is set to take Nickelodeon’s slot at 204.
This means Nickelodeon will move down to 205 and others will shift as a result.
See the full list of changes below:
- Disney Jr launches on 204
- Nickelodeon moves to 205
- Nicktoons moves to 206
- Nick Jr. HD moves to 207
- Nick Jr. Too moves to 208
- Cartoon Network HD moves to 209
- Boomerang HD moves to 210
- Cartoonito HD moves to 211
- BabyTV HD moves to 212
Satellite viewers are unaffected and will find Disney Jr at 625.
You can also find Disney Jr content on Sky Go too.
Shows seen on Disney Jr will continue to be available separately via Disney+ too.
The move follows a number of big name kids channel closures in recent years prompted by a surge in streaming.
CITV shut down in September 2023.
More recently, POP announced that its slate of linear channels will disappear from Freeview and Sky.
ZAYN’S RETURN
Zayn Malik ‘rejoins’ One Direction 10 years after quitting the band
bad boy
Real reason Becki Jones vanished for months – as we reveal new man’s criminal past
The full list of shows you can expect to see on Disney Jr include:
- Mickey Mouse Clubhouse+
- Marvel’s Spidey and his Amazing Friends
- Bluey
- Sofia the First
- Marvel’s Iron Man and His Awesome Friends
- Doc McStuffins
- Pupstruction
- RoboGobo
- Disney Jr. Ariel: The Little Mermaid (coming soon to on demand)
WHY IS DISNEY JR COMING BACK?
By Jamie Harris, Assistant Technology and Science Editor at The Sun
A number of TV channels have been closing in face of tough competition from streaming.
So it’s quite surprising to hear of a reversal, with Disney Jr returning to linear TV five years after it was axed.
But it turns out putting all your eggs into the streaming basket isn’t necessarily the best way to do business.
Interestingly, this return from the dead only includes Disney Jr, and not the main Disney Channel.
Disney Jr taps into the 2-6 age range.
Younger children tend to start out with traditional linear TV put on for them by parents before moving onto streaming as they grow up and can choose for themselves, so this move makes sense.
And with continued channel closures and the arrival of HBO Max next year that will shake-up Sky’s premium offering, it’s more important than ever for Sky to provide as much reason as possible for viewers to stick with them.
