Disney XD (Dutch TV channel)


Disney XD is a Dutch free-to-air television channel owned by The Walt Disney Company. It broadcasts 14 hours a day, time-sharing with Dutch TV station Veronica. The channel used to have a pay-television 24-hours feed that was distributed throughout the Netherlands and Belgium. However, it closed down on 31 July 2018. Viewers in Belgium and Luxembourg receive Disney XD France.
All series on the channel air in Dutch, either dubbed or originally produced in that language. However, the 24-hours feed of the network used to offer an optional English audiotrack for most programming. Dutch subtitles were distributed through teletekstpage 888, as there is currently no DVB subtitle track available.
Disney XD used to broadcast certain shows in English subtitled in Dutch, mainly in the evening and night. The channel is aimed primarily to children ages 6-15.

History

Disney XD was first launched as Fox Kids in the Netherlands on 2 August 1997 and later it expanded its coverage area to Belgium. Saban International bought Dutch free-to-air television network TV10 in January 1997 and started broadcasting Fox Kids, a joint venture with Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation later on in that same year, making TV10 and Fox Kids a time-sharing channel on terrestrial television; in the daytime Fox Kids and at night TV10.
In 2001 Saban wanted to sell its share in Fox Kids to the News Corporation. In the end Murdoch decided to sell Fox Kids to The Walt Disney Company so he would have the cash to acquire DirecTV. Fox Kids was rebranded as Jetix on 13 February 2005, now time-sharing with Veronica.
On 1 January 2010, the Dutch Jetix channel was rebranded as Disney XD, being the last Jetix feed to be relaunched under that brand in Europe. One month later, a 24-hours feed of the channel was launched as a pay television network.
In 2012, Disney highly promoted the 24-hours feed in magazines like Donald Duck and Tina under the banner «Disney XD Extra». It featured extra programming added after 6:00 PM, when the free-to-air feed closed down to timeshare with Veronica.
In 25 March, 2015, Disney XD launched an HD simulcast of the 24-hours feed of the channel, available at the time on KPN, XS4All and Telfort.
The 24-hours feed closed on 31 July 2018. The free-to-air channel time-sharing with Veronica remains broadcasting. As part of that there is no optional English audio track anymore, due to being only on 24-hour feed.

Series