Disney Channel inks carriage deal with Sky Cable

The ABC Cable Networks Group has signed a new carriage deal for Disney Channel with Central CATV Inc. (Sky Cable) and Philippine Home Cable Holdings Inc. (Home Cable) beginning July 1.

The deal provides for Disney Channel to be carried on the basic tier of Sky Cable platforms in the Central CATV franchise area and on Home Cable affiliates outside of Metro Manila.

Both Sky Cable and Home Cable will also offer Disney Channel Mandarin service as a premium service on their systems. The Mandarin feed is both subtitled and dubbed.

The agreement effectively renews the existing relationship of Disney Channel with Home Cable’s affiliate systems and extends the relationship to Sky Cable subscribers.

The agreement was signed last June 10 in Manila by Eugenio Lopez III, chairman of Beyond Cable Inc., and Jon Niermann, managing director for branded television for Asia-Pacific of Walt Disney Television International.

"We’re extremely pleased to be able to renew our relationship with Home Cable in the Philippines and to extend the magic of Disney Channel to kids and families on Sky Cable," said Niermann.

For his part, Carlos Tria, chief operating officer of Beyond Cable Inc., said, "We welcome Disney Channel just as our Sky Cable subscribers welcome Disney into their homes. With Disney on Sky, we now have the most comprehensive kids’ programming among all cable networks."

Since Disney Channel was launched in the Philippines over Home Cable and other systems on Jan. 15, 2000, there has been a steady increase in the number of systems that have signed carriage agreements for the channel.

Disney Channel Asia, headed by managing director Raymund Miranda, is now available in five countries in the region: Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and the Philippines. It was launched in January 2000 and is a multi-language feed with a main feed in English.

The channel most recently added Korea to its territories when it was launched on Korea Digital Broadcasting’s Skylife platform last June 1.

"We’ve been very well received in the Philippines," said Miranda. "Our performance here over the past two and a half years has exceeded our expectations in terms of rating success and the warmth with which kids and families have received us into their homes."

The Asia feed is one of three feeds dedicated to the Asian market, the two others are in Taiwan and Australia. There are 15 Disney Channels worldwide now covering 53 countries.

Disney Channel offers an unparalleled blend of quality Disney entertainment, as well as distinctive acquired and originally produced programs for kids and their families. This includes Disney’s blockbuster animated and live action movies plus a wealth of classic and new Disney animated series, sitcoms, family dramas and music shows, along with specially developed pan-Asian events and programs.