Today marks 40 years since the Disney Channel went live on April 18th, 1983, at 7:00 am Eastern. The channel quickly became must-watch TV for children all over the world. Now though the channel is struggling, and in some countries, Disney has started to shut down the Disney Channel, replacing it with Disney+.
In the UK, Australia, Italy, France, New Zealand, Switzerland, and in German, Disney has already shut down the Disney Channel and is directing fans over to its Disney+ app.
In 2014 The Disney Channel averaged 1.96 million viewers. In 2022 the Disney Channel only averaged 0.18 million viewers, according to Statista.
The Disney Channel is likely facing the same issues that Cartoon Network is also facing. Recently it was reported that the Cartoon Network’s average viewer is now over the age of 18, dramatically older than its target audience.
Now the question is will Disney shut down the Disney Channel here in the US as it did in other parts of the world? Disney has a history of cutting off popular Disney services like Radio Disney. So it wouldn’t be a surprise if they did shut down the Disney Channel to move all of its younger viewers to Disney+, similar to what happened in other countries.
What do you think will The Disney Channel still be here in 10 years? Leave us a comment and let us know.