Disney Channel Preps Free-TV Rollout in Spain

LONDON/MADRID, May 28:
Disney Channel Spain will launch on free digital terrestrial TV (DTT) as an
ad-supported network on Tuesday, July 1.

Disney Channel debuted on
pay cable in Spain in 1998. The network is expected to be a key driver of the
adoption of Spain’s DTT platform, which will replace analogue terrestrial
television and become the standard in 2010, reaching all homes in the country.

Viewers can now access
Disney Channel programming via both DTT and existing pay platforms, including
content like Hannah Montana,
Wizards of Waverly Place, Phineas
and Ferb, High School Musical and the upcoming Disney Channel original movies Camp Rock and The Cheetah Girls One World.

John Hardie, the executive
VP and managing director of Disney Channels EMEA, commented: “Our goal is to
deliver Disney Channel programming to the most viewers and DTT, as the
technology of the future, will enable us to reach our goal."

José Vila, the VP and
general manager of Disney Channel Spain, said: “This is not just important news
for Disney Channel, but for the success of DTT in Spain. There is a big call
for family-appropriate content and making Disney Channel available is an
incredibly attractive incentive for families to make the switch over to DTT
before the official date.”

“At the core of our
success is our creative content and we're thrilled to make it widely available
to kids and families in Spain,” added Gary
Marsh, the president of entertainment at Disney Channels Worldwide.

He continued: "We
thought we'd show our clients how we approach the core of our
business—finding and developing talent—for the series and movies
that are responsible for making us a leader in television for kids and families
and are the launch pad for extensions of our content, including nearly 25
million CD sales in the past two years."

—By Irene Lew