It's #HereForReal Canada! Corus Entertainment Launches Disney Channel in 10 Million Households Today

The only place to find brand new programming and day-and-date premieres for Disney Channel as well as Disney Junior and Disney XD

Please note that this is an update to release c6516 submitted on September 1 at 17:24.

TORONTO, Sept. 3, 2015 /CNW/ - Corus Entertainment's Disney Channel has officially launched for the first time ever in Canada this week and is pleased to announce that Disney Channel is available in 10 million households today with the following distribution partners: Bell Aliant, Bell Fibe TV, Bell Satellite TV, CCSA members including Eastlink and Access, Cogeco Cable Canada, MTS, Rogers, Shaw, Shaw Direct, TELUS and Videotron. SaskTel customers will have access to the new service in the coming weeks. Subscribers are encouraged to check with their IPTV, cable and satellite providers to confirm their local channel listings and visit here.

"We are thrilled to partner with all of our distributors who recognize the power and value of the Disney Channel brand," said Maria Hale, Executive Vice President, Head of Content Distribution and Pay Television. "The network offers subscribers an extensive slate of world-class content delivered across multiple platforms." 

To celebrate the channel's debut, Disney Channel created larger-than-life activations across Canada in Calgary, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver and Halifax. In select markets, unsuspecting kids and families were surprised by visits from the network's biggest stars including Debby Ryan, star of Jessie; Mick, the loveable dog named Stan from Dog With A Blog, Calum Worthy and Raini Rodriguez, who play Dez and Trish on Austin & Ally. Disney Channel gave Canadian fans a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet their favourite stars and be part of the channel's #HereForReal launch celebration. Watch the Disney Channel celebration, here.

The network is the destination to watch premieres, new episodes of fan favourite series and original movies. Today, actress and singer Sabrina Carpenter will host a day of programming, which will feature a world premiere episode from Girl Meets World, then on Friday, September 4,  Calum Worthy and Raini Rodriguez take over the network, debuting another world premiere episode of Austin & Ally.

"We're excited about the enthusiasm for Disney Channel's debut in Canada," said Colin Bohm, Executive Vice President, Head of Corus Kids. "For the first time, Canadian kids and families can  enjoy the full Disney Channel experience with an exceptional lineup of Disney stars, world premieres and day-and-date airings."

In addition to Disney Channel programming, audiences get exclusive access to Disney Junior series like Sofia the First, Miles from Tomorrowland and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, daily from 9 a.m. until noon. The newly announced fairytale-inspired animated series Goldie & Bear debuts later this fall. Saturday evenings feature the best of Disney XD series including new episodes of Gravity Falls, Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero and new series Pickle and Peanut. Fans can catch a sneak peek of Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy during the premiere week on Saturday, September 5.

The WATCH Disney Channel app will launch later in September, giving users premium access to live, linear streams along with a select offering of on-demand episodes. More details on the app will be announced shortly.

About Disney Channel (Canada)
Disney Channel is a 24-hour kid-driven, family-inclusive television network that taps into the world of kids and families through original series and movies. Disney Channel is available in Canada through a license agreement between Canadian-based media and entertainment company Corus Entertainment Inc. and Disney/ABC Television Group. For more information, please visit DisneyChannel.ca and corusent.com.

Facebook: Facebook.com/DisneyChannelCanada
Instagram: https://instagram.com/disneychannelcanada
Youtube: Youtube.com/DisneyChannelCanada
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/DisneyChannelCA

All times are ET/PT

SOURCE Corus Entertainment Inc.

For more information on Disney Channel (Canada), please contact: Netta Rondinelli, Corus Entertainment Inc., 416.479.6443, [email protected]; Catrina Jaricot, Corus Entertainment Inc., 416.479.6397, [email protected]