Disney XD (Southeast Asian TV channel)

This article is about Disney XD in Southeast Asia. For the original American version, see Disney XD. For other international versions, see List of Disney XD TV channels.

Disney XD was a pan-Asian pay television channel owned by The Walt Disney Company (Southeast Asia) Pte. Ltd., and part of the Disney Branded Television division of Walt Disney Television in the United States. Following Disney's acquisition of 21st Century Fox in 2019, the channel was operated by Fox Networks Group Asia Pacific. Aimed primarily at children aged 6 to 15, it featured a lineup that included Marvel and Star Wars series, reruns of shows previously aired on Disney Channel, various action series, and some preschool programming from Disney Junior.

Disney XD

Broadcast area	Singapore (until May 31, 2020) Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and Thailand (until December 31, 2020)
Headquarters	1 Fusionopolis View, #06-01 Sandcrawler Building, Singapore 138577
Programming
Language(s)	English Chinese (dubbing/subtitles) Malay (dubbing/subtitles) Indonesian (dubbing/subtitles) Thai (dubbing/subtitles) Tamil (dubbing/subtitles)
Picture format	1080i HDTV
Ownership
Owner	The Walt Disney Company (Southeast Asia) Pte. Ltd. Fox Networks Group Asia Pacific
Sister channels	Disney Channel Disney Junior
History
Launched	15 September 2012; 12 years ago (2012-09-15) (Malaysia)[1] March 16, 2013; 11 years ago (2013-03-16) (Singapore)[2] 19 October 2013; 11 years ago (2013-10-19) (Indonesia & Thailand)[3] 31 May 2014; 10 years ago (2014-05-31) (Philippines)[4] 2016; 8 years ago (2016) (Bangladesh)
Closed	1 March 2019; 5 years ago (2019-03-01) (SD feed, Malaysia) 1 June 2020; 4 years ago (2020-06-01) (Singapore) 1 January 2021; 3 years ago (2021-01-01) (Southeast Asia & Bangladesh)[5]
Replaced by	Metro Channel (Cignal channel space, Philippines) TA-DAA! (Astro channel space, Malaysia)

History

Disney XD launched in Malaysia on 15 September 2012, as the first international kids' channel available on Astro's basic package.^[1] It expanded to Singapore on March 16, 2013, Indonesia and Thailand on 19 October 2013, and the Philippines on 31 May 2014.^[2] After Disney Channel India and Disney XD India were banned in Bangladesh for broadcasting in Hindi, Disney XD Asia became available on a few digital cable platforms in 2016.^[6]

Due to changes in Astro's programming and the launch of Disney+ Hotstar, Disney XD and Disney Junior ceased broadcasting on Astro and its affiliated platforms on 1 June 2021. As part of a broader review of Disney's business in the region, Disney XD ended operations in Southeast Asia on 1 January 2021 (simultaneously with the Scandinavian and Middle Eastern feeds), after over eight years of broadcasting.^[7]

In 2019, the Malaysian feed of Disney XD Asia was merged into the main feed, with Astro converting Disney XD to an HD-only channel. Disney XD was not distributed in Hong Kong or Vietnam; instead, selected Disney XD programs were available on Disney Channel Asia. Disney Channel, Disney XD, and Disney Junior also ceased transmission in Singapore on 1 June 2020, with some content moving to Disney+ on 23 February 2021.^[8]

Following the closure of Disney XD, its content was moved to Disney Channel in Southeast Asia, Disney+ Hotstar in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand, and Disney+ in Singapore and the Philippines.^[5] In the Philippines, Disney XD was replaced by Metro Channel on 4 January 2021, while in Malaysia, it was replaced by TA-DAA! on 15 March 2021, later rebranded as the DreamWorks Channel in February 2023.

References

1. "Malaysia to premiere Disney XD". Kidscreen. 19 July 2012. Archived from the original on 4 July 2015. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
2. "Marvel Mania, and More!". Television Asia Plus. 22 March 2013. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
3. Gopi, Shreya (21 October 2013). "Disney XD launches in Indonesia and Thailand". On Screen. Archived from the original on 16 February 2014. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
4. "Disney XD Launches in the Philippines beginning May 31". Smart Parenting. 31 May 2014. Archived from the original on 12 August 2014. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
5. "Astro's kids offering gets a makeover!". Astro. Archived from the original on 11 December 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
6. "Bangladesh bans cartoons to halt Hindi invasion". Hindustan Times. 15 February 2013. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
7. "DC TV Schedule | Disney TV Shows | Malaysia". 1 January 2021. Archived from the original on 1 January 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
8. Baroness, The (1 June 2020). "Disney+ Singapore Incoming: Disney Channels Dropped From Starhub & Singtel". Geek Culture. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 1 June 2020.