Disney Channel will return to the Spanish television market on April 1, just over a year after the children’s network closed on the country’s digital terrestrial platform.
According to reporting by Spanish newspaper El País, the channel will relaunch as a pay-TV service, replacing Disney Jr. on Spanish pay-TV platforms.
The move marks a significant reversal for Disney in Spain. Disney Channel ended its 27-year run in January 2025 after Disney Iberia failed to reach a new agreement with Net TV, the operator that carried the channel on Spain’s DTT network. The closure brought an end to one of the most widely distributed kids’ channels in the country.
Under the new strategy, the relaunched Disney Channel will broaden its target audience beyond preschoolers to include children aged 6 to 11. However, programmes aimed at younger viewers will continue to air under clearly branded Disney Jr. blocks.
El País reports that the change partly reflects the weak performance of Disney Jr. as a standalone pay-TV channel in Spain. In 2025 the service ranked only 29th among thematic channels, with a 0.1% share of total television viewing and 0.6% of the pay-TV audience.
The revamped channel is expected to include a mix of classic Disney Channel franchises and newer titles, with potential programming including Miraculous, Kiff and the Z-O-M-B-I-E-S film franchise, alongside specials tied to legacy hits such as Hannah Montana.
Although Disney’s primary focus remains its streaming platform Disney+, the company continues to operate several linear channels in Spain, including Star and National Geographic. The return of Disney Channel is seen as a way of maintaining a broader television presence while adapting its offering to changing viewing habits among younger audiences.
The Spanish move follows other signs that Disney is reassessing the role of linear television in Europe. In the UK, for example, the company recently restored a linear presence for its children’s brands through a new agreement with Sky that returned Disney Jr. to the platform after several years of absence.
