Editing Jetix (section)

== History ==
=== Development of the Jetix brand and launch in the United States ===
In January 2004, Fox Kids Europe, Fox Kids Latin America (both of which were purchased by Disney in 2001 as part of [[ABC Family Worldwide|Fox Family Worldwide]]) and the [[Disney Channels Worldwide|ABC Cable Networks Group]] agreed to rename its then current operations under a single brand, called '''Jetix''',<ref name="Edmunds">{{cite news|last=Edmunds|first=Marlene|title=Fox Kids, ABC cable jet to int'l Jetix kidvid pact|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-113758991.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105192024/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-113758991.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=5 November 2013|access-date=18 March 2013|newspaper=Daily Variety|date=9 January 2004}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Derrick |first=Stuart |url=http://www.marketingmagazine.co.uk/article/205805/licensing-fox-kids-readies-european-shake-up |title=Licensing: Fox Kids readies a European shake-up |work=Marketing Magazine |date=22 March 2004 |access-date=6 April 2016}}</ref> which helped strengthen its then operations into a single force. The Jetix name was applied to its programming blocks which aired on ABC Family and Toon Disney, its television channels in Europe and Latin America, along with its program library and merchandising.<ref name="Edmunds" /> After Fox Kids closed in the US, much of the content previously aired on the block moved to ABC Family and Toon Disney; the international Fox Kids networks kept operating despite their US forerunner becoming defunct.

The Jetix name was chosen after the company conducted international research specifically with a number of children's focus groups. Many of the children chose the name as it implied action and adventure, and the company was able to use the name internationally due to its ambiguity. Bruce Steinberg, chairman and chief executive officer of Fox Kids Europe, explain that Jetix would help strengthen Fox Kids Europe's partnership with Disney while building new alliances to continue to successfully leverage its programming library and distribution.<ref name=ds>{{cite news|last=Welsh|first=James|title=Fox Kids to be rebranded as Jetix|url=http://www.digitalspy.com/british-tv/news/a12962/fox-kids-to-be-rebranded-as-jetix.html|access-date=24 February 2014|newspaper=Digital Spy|date=9 January 2004}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Ball|first=Ryan|title=ABC, Fox Kids Launch Action Blocks|url=http://www.animationmagazine.net/tv/abc-fox-kids-launch-action-blocks/|access-date=13 May 2014|newspaper=Animation Magazine|date=9 January 2004}}</ref>

On 14 February 2004, [[Toon Disney]] and [[Freeform (TV channel)|ABC Family]] launched Jetix with ''Jetix Cards Live'', the world's first concurrently online and telecast trading card game.<ref name=amag>{{cite news|last=Ball|first=Ryan|title=Toon Disney Launches Jetix, Live Card Game |url=http://www.animationmagazine.net/tv/toon-disney-launches-jetix-live-card-game/|access-date=3 March 2014|newspaper=Animation Magazine|date=13 February 2004}}</ref> ABC Family aired Jetix on weekdays from 7am to 9am and weekends 7am to 12 noon ET/PT. The block also aired on Toon Disney on both weekdays (Monday-Thursday) and weekends from 7pm to 9pm ET/PT.<ref name="mcn">{{cite news|last=Umstead|first=R. Thomas|date=19 March 2004|title=Disney Nets Bolster 'Jetix' Block|newspaper=Multichannel News|url=http://www.multichannel.com/content/disney-nets-bolster-%E2%80%98jetix%E2%80%99-block|access-date=5 March 2014|archive-date=5 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140305205759/http://www.multichannel.com/content/disney-nets-bolster-%E2%80%98jetix%E2%80%99-block|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== International expansion and transition of the Fox Kids brand into Jetix ===
Outside of the United States, Jetix was first launched as a programming block on the European Fox Kids channels in April 2004,<ref name=":0" /> airing in mornings and afternoons.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Fox Kids UK to change its name to Jetix|url=https://www.marketingweek.com/fox-kids-uk-to-change-its-name-to-jetix/|website=Marketingweek.com|date=25 March 2004}}</ref>

The transition of Fox Kids networks into Jetix started in August 2004 with the French version's rebranding,<ref name="brcl2" /> which was followed by the Latin American version later in the month.<ref name=":1" /> The transitioning continued throughout 2004 and 2005 with the rebranding of the Scandinavian version in October 2004, versions in most European territories in January 2005, the Netherlands in February, and Italy and Israel in March. The transition was completed in June 2005 when the final Fox Kids network in Germany was rebranded as Jetix.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2014-10-19|title=Financial Results – Six Months to March 31, 2005|url=http://www.jetixeurope.com/site/pdf/financials/1046---PDF.pdf|access-date=2021-11-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141019095445/http://www.jetixeurope.com/site/pdf/financials/1046---PDF.pdf|archive-date=19 October 2014}}</ref>

The [[Jetix Play|Fox Kids Play]] channels available in CEE and MENA (which primarily aired archive programming from Saban, Fox Kids, and Jetix archives, including some [[DIC Entertainment|DiC Entertainment]] shows) were rebranded as Jetix Play, on 1 January 2005.<ref name="poland" />

The Jetix brand unified the children's programming department at ABC's domestic cable networks, as well as Fox Kids in Europe and Latin America, in a joint programming alliance. The first Jetix Europe co-productions were ''[[W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)|W.I.T.C.H.]]'' and ''[[Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!]]'', with ''[[Get Ed]]'' and ''[[Yin Yang Yo!]]'' following in 2005 and 2006 respectively.

=== Rebrand as Disney XD in the US and international discontinuation ===
In Fall 2006, Toon Disney in the United States became the exclusive home for Jetix, effectively ending the block on ABC Family.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Disney ABC Kids Networks Unveils 2006-7 Programming Slate|url=https://www.awn.com/news/disney-abc-kids-networks-unveils-2006-7-programming-slate|access-date=2021-11-30|website=Animation World Network|language=en}}</ref> The Jetix programming block took up most of Toon Disney's airtime, taking 12 hours on weekdays and 19 hours on weekends, until the network was replaced by Disney XD in the United States on 13 February 2009.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2011-06-16|title=Disney XD Unwraps On Friday The 13th - 2009-01-07 09:10:00 {{!}} Multichannel News|url=http://www.multichannel.com/article/161701-Disney_XD_Unwraps_On_Friday_The_13_th.php|access-date=2021-11-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110616202259/http://www.multichannel.com/article/161701-Disney_XD_Unwraps_On_Friday_The_13_th.php|archive-date=16 June 2011}}</ref>

Disney XD was to be slightly different from Jetix; it still mostly focused on the boy demographic, but would include more live-action productions under the Disney banner and also be a home for Disney's recent animated productions (for both boys and girls), effectively superseding Toon Disney in the United States. The new brand was to be "aimed at boys ages 6–14 and features content focusing on the themes of adventure, accomplishment, gaming, music and sports."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Disney launches Disney XD network, Web site |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/losangeles/stories/2009/02/09/daily38.html |access-date=2024-08-05 |website=www.bizjournals.com}}</ref>

On 8 December 2008, two months before the U.S. launch of Disney XD, Disney announced that it would be increasing its shares in Jetix Europe to 96% with the intention to buy the remaining shares in the company, effectively ending Jetix Europe's autonomy.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Disney moves for Jetix Europe takeover|url=https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/disney-moves-jetix-europe-takeover/867865|access-date=2021-11-30|website=www.campaignlive.co.uk|language=en}}</ref> Disney wanted full control of the company and to bring the European Jetix channels completely under the Disney umbrella, enabling Disney to have a singular unified strategy for its channels. After the completion of Jetix Europe's share buy-back offer, Jetix Europe was delisted from the Euronext Amsterdam stock exchange on 27 February 2009.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Homepage ::: Jetix|url=http://www.jetixeurope.com/site/home/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111005215850/http://www.jetixeurope.com/site/home/index.html |archive-date=2011-10-05 |access-date=2021-11-30}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2013-11-13|title=Financial Report 2009|url=http://www.jetixeurope.com/site/pdf/Jetix_Annual_Accounts_2009.pdf|access-date=2021-11-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113025753/http://www.jetixeurope.com/site/pdf/Jetix_Annual_Accounts_2009.pdf|archive-date=13 November 2013}}</ref> In the discontinuation of the Jetix brand, Jetix Europe's CEO Paul Taylor resigned, with John Hardie, the Executive Vice President of Disney Channels EMEA as CEO on 11 February 2009. John Hardie left Disney for [[ITN]] in June 2009 and was replaced with Giorgio Stock (who later became head of [[Turner Broadcasting System Europe]]).<ref>{{Cite web |title=John Hardie CEO ::: Jetix |url=http://www.jetixeurope.com/site/press_office/press_releases/john_hardie_ceo.html |access-date=2021-11-30 |website= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170820062402/http://www.jetixeurope.com/site/press_office/press_releases/john_hardie_ceo.html |archive-date=20 August 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In June 2008, Disney France announced that Disney Channel and Jetix would merge operations; at the time, Jetix was being affected by falling carriage rates and came close to being removed from the [[Canal+ (French TV provider)|CanalSat]] television provider in France after protracted negotiations. Jetix France was the first European version of Jetix to make the conversion to Disney XD on 1 April 2009.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2008-06-10|title=Jetix and Disney integrate French operations|url=https://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2008/06/10/jetix-and-disney-integrate-french-operations/|access-date=2021-11-30|website=Broadband TV News|language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2009-02-16|title=French Jetix becomes Disney XD|url=https://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2009/02/16/french-jetix-becomes-disney-xd/|access-date=2021-11-30|website=Broadband TV News|language=en-GB}}</ref>

Jetix became Disney Channel in countries where it was not already available (most notably the Central Eastern Europe and the Hungarian, Czech, Slovakian, Romanian, and Israeli feeds). The last main Jetix feed in operation, Jetix Russia, was rebranded to Disney Channel on 10 August 2010. Also, in the countries where Jetix Play broadcast, it became a localised version of [[Playhouse Disney]]; however, the rollout was not synchronized with the conversion of the main Jetix networks in these areas, instead happening between 2010 and 2011, one region at a time.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2010-08-11|title=Disney replaces Jetix in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus|url=https://www.digitaltveurope.com/2010/08/11/disney-replaces-jetix-in-russia-ukraine-and-belarus/|access-date=2021-11-30|website=Digital TV Europe|language=en-GB}}</ref><ref name="poland" />

In Italy, the managing director of Jetix Italy, Francesco Nespega, led a management buyout; Jetix Italy was renamed as Switchover Media and was now responsible for two channels that were previously operated by Jetix Italy, cable television channel [[GXT]] and free-to-air channel [[K2 (TV channel)|K2]] (as of 2024, they are operated by [[Warner Bros. Discovery EMEA]]). However, the main Jetix Italy channel remained at Disney and was rebranded as Disney XD in September 2009.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Jetix Italy Announces Management Buyout|url=https://www.awn.com/news/jetix-italy-announces-management-buyout|access-date=2021-11-30|website=Animation World Network|language=en}}</ref>