Disney Channel Italy

World Screen Weekly, July 6,
2006

CHANNEL NAME: Disney Channel
Italy

YEAR IT LAUNCHED: 1998

NUMBER OF SUBSCRIBERS: 4 million on the SKY Italia satellite platform.

OWNERSHIP: Walt Disney Television Italia, a division of The Walt
Disney Company.

DESCRIPTION: Like other Disney channels around the world, the channel in
Italy targets children and families with a mix of animated and live-action
series, as well as movies, without commercial interruptions.

Disney Channel is now part of a
bouquet that is available exclusively on SKY. In December 2004, Disney
Channel+1 launched—offering the same schedule as Disney Channel, but
time-shifted by one hour—and so did Toon Disney, which features the best
in Disney animation. In May 2005, the preschool service Playhouse Disney
rounded out the offering.

MANAGING DIRECTOR: Giorgio Stock

PROGRAMMING STRATEGY: Aside from offering live-action and animated staples from
Disney, such as Lizzie McGuire, That’s
So Raven, The Suite Life of Zack &
Cody, Kim Possible, Lilo & Stitch,
and the new Mickey Mouse Clubhouse,
Disney Channel Italy also features acquired programming such as Even Stevens and Sleepover Club.

The huge hit on the channel has
been an original production called Quelli dell’Intervallo, a sitcom set in a junior high school. “It is the
number-one rated show on Disney Channel Italy; we are in production with the
fourth season and will produce the sitcom as a format for other Disney channels
in Europe,” says Giorgio Stock, the managing director of Disney Channel Italy.
The series will be produced by Disney channels in the U.K., Spain, France and
Germany, and possibly more in the future.

An indication of the popularity of
Quelli dell’Intervallo was the response
the Disney Channel Italy production team got when it announced the casting call
for the fourth season. Some 7,000 youngsters under the age of 15 replied to the
call. Fifteen boys and girls were chosen, and were then narrowed down to six.
Interviews with these six finalists aired for two weeks on the channel to give
viewers at home the chance to vote for the winner. Kids at home responded with
more than 135,000 SMS votes over a period of 10 days, plus votes online and
through mail-in cards. “We’re producing the fourth season and we don’t see an
end in sight. We have introduced a new character and we are producing a pilot
of a spin-off series, one centering on one character’s life at home.”

Stock is looking to extend the
success of Quelli dell’Intervallo not
only by offering it as a format for other Disney Channels in Europe to produce,
but also by exploring other outlets. “We are of the opinion that we must
develop content and distribute it wherever youngsters are. Working only with
linear TV is not our point of view, but we are very selective about the
platforms we choose. Different platforms can extend the consumer experience
with Disney product, but the platform must meet Disney standards, for example,
the mobile phone must be of the proper quality.”

Stock and his team are planning on
producing long-form and short-form content. “The 7-minute episodes of Quelli
dell’Intervallo are perfect for mobile,”
says Stock. “This is a dynamic moment in time, between our local production,
the strength of the U.S. product we receive from Disney and the new platforms
emerging in Italy, including digital terrestrial, IPTV, mobile phones.”

WHAT’S NEW: Stock is equally excited about the new TV season that will
launch in September. “Music will be the key element of our fall season,” he
says, with the premiere of the mega hit Disney original movie, High School
Musical and the series Hannah Montana. “The launch of High School Musical will be a unique two-week experiment. The movie launches
at the end of September and will air until mid-October.” There will also be the
release of the DVD and of the soundtrack on CD. A four-week free-TV window has
been given to RaiDue from October 14 to November 13.

Disney Consumer Products is also
working with the channel for the launch of merchandising connected to Kim
Possible, with books, toys, apparel,
back-to-school supplies and video games.

A full roll out of product is also
planned for the preschool series Little Einsteins.

WEBSITE: www.disney.it/DisneyChannel/