Playhouse Disney gets staggercast

Playhouse Disney will get the UK's first 25-minute staggercast with Playhouse Disney +, it has been announced.

The delayed version of the preschool channel is aimed at young children who want to watch programmes twice as well as those who miss shows.

Repeating will apparently improve the education value of the programmes. The staggercast will also be next to Playhouse in the Sky EPG so youngsters can watch a show again with one button.

Parenting expert Eileen Hayes said: "Preschoolers love repetition. The cry of, 'Again! Again!" will be familiar to most parents, whether it applies to songs and rhymes, games, playing with a toy or watching a favourite TV show.

"The reason for this is that very young children feel most secure when they have some recognisable structure and routine to their day, and the repetition of familiar things provides this and helps them to feel reassured about their world."

Disney Channels UK managing director Rob Gilby added: "Playhouse Disney aims to help parents raise happy, well-rounded children and part of this is offering a schedule tailored to their needs.

"Most staggercast channels are based on the concept of timeshifting alone, hence the standard plus one approach. Playhouse Disney + takes into account both timeshifting and potential repetition, which we hope will offer more flexibility for parents and preschoolers."

The new channel will launch on November 3 along with new puppet series Bunnytown. The variety show was produced at Elstree Studios.