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Sky has confirmed details of a new deal with Disney for continued carriage of its range of channels in the UK.
The agreement is thought to be worth £130 million a year, similar in monetary terms to the unprecedented ten-year deal signed back in 1995.
As widely expected, the main Disney Channel and Playhouse Disney will move to Sky's Kids Mix pack from March 16, effectively doubling their potential audience overnight.
The Toon Disney channel will be closed and a new movie service, 'Disney Cinemagic', will be launched. The 24/7 channel will be available as a free bonus to subscribers of Sky's movie channels or as a standalone premium option. Cinemagic launches at 5pm on Sunday, March 19, with the UK premiere of The Incredibles.
The contract also covers Disney's new ESPN Classic channel, launching on March 13 as part of the News and Events Mix pack, as well as Jetix and Jetix +1. The kids channels, formerly known as Fox Kids but now fully owned by Disney, will be available to Sky customers for a further five years beyond the current deal's 2007 expiration.
Meanwhile, Sky has extended its agreement with Buena Vista International Television to supply films for the Sky Movies channels and also, for the first time, for Sky's upcoming HD service and for internet download via Sky By Broadband.
"This agreement, which marks our largest distribution deal outside the US, is great news for viewers, who will now be able to access an even broader array of Disney content, either through their TVs or via broadband on personal computers," said Anne Sweeney, president of the Disney Television Group.
Richard Freudenstein, Sky's chief operating officer, added: "These agreements show the range and quality of Disney content. Working with outstanding brands like Disney and ESPN allows us to offer great entertainment for every family member and to break new ground in multi-platform content distribution."
