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During the early years of the formation of Disney Channel, it was specifically designed for children in the age gap of six to twelve during the weekdays, nine to fifteen during the weekend’s primetime block and the Playhouse Disney programming block for children between the ages of two to five years. However, currently it has widened its target audience to include older people who in this case are teenagers and young families. This cable channel was first launched in 1982 and was headed by Alan Wagner. During this time, it used to be on air for sixteen hours a day. During this time, some of the shows which were aired on this channel included; Welcome to Pooh corner and You and Me Kid among others. It is ideal to note that among some of the movies that premiered on this channel during this time included; the Raccoons, Western Five mile Creek and Since then, it has undergone various developments and achieved tremendous success that has brought it to where it is today.
At this point, it would be imperative to state that in 2002 to 2007, Disney channel underwent some remodeling and previous to the old tradition of showcasing drama and reality series, the focus turned to live action comedy and animated series. This happened on 9th of September 2002 and at this point after one month, the current logo used by the channel was implemented. During this time, most of the series aired before were terminated and it is ideal to state that the only one left untouched was the Playhouse Disney which is on air up to date. The period between 2007 to date also has seen some changes come through the Disney channel and it is largely due to this changes that the so many years later, the channel is still growing majestically and luring in a lot of viewers.
It is during this time that they made changes to showcase four original Disney channel movies and two original series every year. It was also during this time that they remodeled all aspects about the channel including the manner in which they showcased their programs and presented the same. One of the most successful series that attracted more than 17.2 million viewers during this time was High School musical 2. it was also during this period of 2007 that the channel introduced the series, That's So Raven spinoff Cory in the House which unfortunately ended unceremoniously after two seasons.
It is aspects such as those stated above that make this channel hold almost 7% of Disney's stock and has a 32% value of stock compared to other channels like ABC family and Lifetime which have 3 % stock. At this point, it is also ideal to note that Disney Channel is ad free and as such, makes its revenue from charging clients with a subscriber fee which is paid every month to the cable companies and satellite companies that provide this provision. Since its inception, it is important to note that this fee is payable on a monthly basis and since 2005, it rose from 78 cents to 86 cents in 2009. this amount is expected to rise further and there are a couple of reasons leading to this conclusion.
First and foremost, it is the high demand been placed on the Disney Channel. Since it targets children mostly, in the United States, it has a market audience of 96%. it is due to this fact that it is termed as household station and the major reason that it has drawn a constant pricing and is able to charge a premium compared to other channels such as Viacom's Nickelodeon and time Warner's Cartoon Network which are not allowed to do the same.
Another aspect will largely contribute towards achieving this end is the ad free provision. Due to this, most parents rest assured that their children are not exposed to vulgar and other adult ads and as such, find it easy to subscribe to the same. What is more, shows such as High school musical, Mickey Mouse and Hannah Montana also make the channel appealing to a vast majority of parents. At this point is important to note that the subscription fee charged by Disney is higher with 44 cents compared to that of Nickelodeon's and five times that of Cartoon Network. This however is not an issue that ought to portray the channel as a bad option. This is for the simple reason that these other channels have charge for ads and as such have the capabilities of considerably lowering the subscription fee. Due to these factors, it is expected that subscription fee should grow by 2% in the coming years.
Among some of the latest developments that have taken place at Disney channel is the introduction of another Disney channel which is named Disney Junior and which is geared towards children in the ages of 2 to 7. However, though this announcement is official, the Disney Junior channel is not expected to premiere until 2010. tailored for preschoolers and the families, some of the shows which will be included in this channel include; Jake and the Never Land Pirates, Jungle Junction, Special Agent Oso and imagination Movers. To top it all, it is also expected to play a couple of Disney movies.
At this point, it is ideal to note that this new channel will be taking the place currently held by SOAPnet channel and before it can be launched officially, it will be introduced to Disney channel's kids on the Playhouse programming block. Another ideal point to note about Disney channel is the seasonal programming they adhere to which in this case include; summer, Halloween and new year events. For instance, the 2010 programming block for summer is Rock Out Summer or alternatively It's On and is scheduled to run from the 28th of May to 28th of September. In addition to this, it is important to note that the Halloween specials are aired in the month of April and are often referred to as Halloween in April.
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