A MUCH-MISSED channel is returning to Sky five years after it was axed.
And its slate of shows will be available to watch on-demand too.
All the Disney channels were closed down back in September 2020 following the launch of Disney+.
But Disney Jr is being revived next week.
The channel will be home to much-loved cartoons for pre-school children aged between two and six-years old, including Mickey Mouse Clubhouse+, Marvel’s Spidey and his Amazing Friends and Bluey.
Disney Jr is being added to the £8 a month Sky Kids package, which features 10 live channels.
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This is available on Sky Glass, Sky Stream, Sky Q and Sky+, as well as the Sky Go app.
Shows seen on Disney Jr will continue to be available separately via Disney+ too.
The move comes after a number of big name kids channel closures in recent years prompted by a surge in streaming.
CITV shut down in September 2023.
And just this week, POP announced that its slate of linear channels will disappear from Freeview and Sky.
The Disney Jr channel will launch on November 13.
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)
News of Disney Jr’s return comes on the same day it was revealed that Sky’s owner is in talks to buy ITV.
US media giant Comcast is early discussions over a possible a £1.6billion takeover deal.
It would include ITV’s terrestrial TV channels and streaming service ITVX.
But the sale would not include ITV’s production arm, which makes shows including I’m A Celebrity and Love Island.
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.
