Editing Disney Channel (section)

{{Short description|American children's/family television channel}}
{{other uses}}
{{protection padlock|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}}
{{Infobox television channel
| name = Disney Channel
| logo = [[File:2024 Disney Channel text logo.svg|240px|class=skin-invert]]
| logo_size = 240px
| launch_date = {{Start date and age|1983|04|18}}
| closed_date = 
| owner = [[Disney Entertainment]]
| parent = [[Disney Branded Television]]
| picture_format = {{plainlist|
* [[720p]] [[HDTV]]<br>(downscaled to [[letterboxing (filming)|letterbox]]ed [[480i]] for the [[SDTV]] feed)
}}
| country = United States
| language = {{plainlist|
* English
* Spanish {{small|(via [[Second audio program|SAP]] audio track)}}
}}
| area = Nationwide
| slogan = 
| headquarters = [[Burbank, California]], U.S.
| sister_channels = {{collapsible list|
* [[Disney Jr.]]
* [[Disney XD]]
* [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]
* [[A&E (TV network)|A&E]]
* [[ACC Network]]
* [[Lifetime (TV channel)|Lifetime]]
* [[LMN (TV channel)|LMN]]
* [[Localish]]
* [[ESPN]]
* [[SEC Network]]
* [[Freeform (TV channel)|Freeform]]
* [[FX (TV channel)|FX]]
* [[FXX]]
* [[FX Movie Channel|FXM]]
* [[FYI (American TV channel)|FYI]]
* [[Crime & Investigation|C&I]]
* [[History Channel|History]]
* [[National Geographic (American TV channel)|National Geographic]]
* [[Nat Geo Wild]]
}}
| former_names = The Disney Channel (1983–1997)
| webcast = [https://disneynow.com/watch-live?brand=disney-channel Watch live]
| website = {{official website|https://disneynow.com/all-shows/disney-channel}}
| online_serv_1 = Affiliated streaming service
| online_chan_1 = [[Disney+]]
| online_serv_2 = Service(s)
| online_chan_2 = [[Fubo TV]], [[Hulu + Live TV]], [[Sling TV]], [[YouTube TV]], [[DirecTV Stream]]
}}

'''Disney Channel''' is an American [[pay television]] [[television channel|channel]] that serves as the [[flagship (broadcasting)|flagship property]] of [[Disney Branded Television]], a unit of the [[Disney Entertainment]] business segment of [[the Walt Disney Company]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|last=Low|first=Elaine|date=10 November 2020|title=Disney Reorganizes TV and Streaming Content Units Under Peter Rice|work=[[variety (magazine)|Variety]]|publisher=[[Penske Media Corporation]]|url=https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/disney-general-entertainment-content-reorganization-1234827326/|access-date=10 November 2020|archive-date=10 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201110211557/https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/disney-general-entertainment-content-reorganization-1234827326/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Launched on April 18, 1983, under the name '''The Disney Channel''' as a [[pay television|premium channel]] on top of [[basic cable]] [[television system]]s, it originally showcased programming towards families due to availability of home television sets locally at the time. It dropped the "The" word from the name in 1997, thus getting rebranded as just '''Disney Channel''', with its programming  since till date shifting focus to target mainly children and [[adolescent]]s ages 6–14.<ref name="Disney Channels Worldwide Fact Sheet January 2019">{{cite web |title=Disney Channels Worldwide Fact Sheet January 2019 |url=https://www.dgepress.com/storage/uploads/6C/D1/6CD1F20D-309F-A786-C52E-C515FC8B65A7/press-release-9-165053.pdf |website=dgepress.com |publisher=Disney ABC Television Group |access-date=22 June 2024}}</ref> The channel showcases original first-run [[children's television series]], [[art release#Film|theatrically released]] and original [[television film]]s and other selected third-party programming.

{{As of|2023|11}}, Disney Channel is available to approximately 70 million pay television households in the United States — down from its peak of 100 million households in 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://wrestlenomics.com/u-s-cable-network-households-universe-1990-2023-nielsen-data/|title=U.S. cable network households (universe), 1990 – 2023|website=wrestlenomics.com|date=May 14, 2024|access-date=May 15, 2024}}</ref> The channel's [[Disney Branded Television#List of Disney Channels|international footprint]], once encompassing 46 channels available in 33 languages,<ref name="dgedischan">{{cite web|title=Disney Channels Worldwide|url=https://www.dgepress.com/disneygeneralentertainmentcontent/about-us/disney-channels/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220504182054/https://www.dgepress.com/disneygeneralentertainmentcontent/about-us/disney-channels/|archive-date=4 May 2022|website=[[Disney General Entertainment Content]]|access-date=4 May 2022}}</ref> has also diminished in parts of [[Europe]] and most of the [[Asia–Pacific|Asia-Pacific]] due to the launch of [[Disney+]] and competition from other [[streaming media|streaming]] and [[social media]] platforms.