Family Jr. was a Canadianspecialty channel owned byWildBrain. A sister channel toFamily Channel, it broadcastchildren's programming aimed at viewers aged 2 to 7. Legally, the channel operated as amultiplex service of Family Channel, stemming from its former licensing status as apremium television service; therefore, it was distributed at no additional charge to Family Channel subscribers. Along with itsFrench-language counterpart,Télémagino, it was available in over 4 million Canadian households as of 2013.[1]
The channel launched on November 30, 2007, as a Canadian version ofPlayhouse Disney, under license fromDisney Channels Worldwide (which had a library agreement with Family Channel at the time). It then rebranded under Disney's new preschool television brandDisney Junior on May 6, 2011. Following Bell Media's acquisition of Astral in 2013, the channel, along with its sister networks were divested to DHX Media in 2014. In 2015, Family Channel lost the rights to Disney Channel programming toCorus Entertainment: this resulted in the launch of anew Corus-run Disney Junior channel, and DHX's existing Disney Junior channel being rebranded as Family Jr.–abrand extension of Family Channel–on September 18, 2015.
The channel originally launched asPlayhouse Disney on November 30, 2007; as Family was originally licensed as apremium television service, it is allowed to operate multiplex channels consistent with the network's licence (which dictated that it provide a service with programming aimed at youth aged 17 and younger), thus the channel did not require separate CRTC approval, and would be offered at no additional charge to television providers who already carry Family Channel.
A French-language version, originally known as Playhouse Disney Télé, was launched on July 5, 2010. Unlike the English version, it operates under a separate license.[2]
On May 6, 2011, the networks were rebranded under Disney's new preschool television brand,Disney Junior.[3]
On March 4, 2013,Bell Media announced that it would divest the Family Channel networks as part of its then-proposed acquisition of Astral Media.[4] On November 28, 2013, DHX Media (nowWildBrain) announced it would acquire the Family Channel networks $170 million, pending CRTC approval.[5][6] On July 24, 2014, the CRTC approved DHX's purchase of the networks,[7][8] and the deal was closed on July 31, 2014.[9][10]
On April 16, 2015, it was announced thatCorus Entertainment had acquired rights to Disney's children's television library and brands, succeeding a previous license agreement with DHX. Corus stated that following the launch of aCanadian version ofDisney Channel, it would re-launch Disney's other linear children's television brands in Canada in the future. In anticipation for this transition, DHX concurrently announced that its Disney-branded networks would be re-branded as brand extensions of Family Channel; Disney Junior was re-branded as Family Jr. on September 18, 2015. A Corus-owned incarnation ofDisney Junior later ran from December 1, 2015 to September 1, 2025.[11][12][13][14][15]
On December 18, 2024, WildBrain announced that it would sell a two-thirds majority stake of its television operations—including Family Channel—to IoM Media Ventures, a Halifax-based company founded by former WildBrain CEO Dana Landry.[16]
In April 2025, WildBrain stated that it would be renegotiating aspects of the agreement, citing factors such as a decision byBell Canada not to renew its carriage agreements for WildBrain's channels, pulling them from their lineup on May 20.[17][18][19]
On August 25, 2025, WildBrain announced that it was unable to renew its carriage agreements withRogers Cable. It therefore announced plans to close all of its specialty channels in the near future, as the loss of these carriage agreements meant the channels had lost most of their value and were "no longer commercially viable".[20] All four networks shut down at 5:59 a.m.Eastern on October 23, though some providers stopped their carriage of the channels at midnight several hours earlier.[21][22]
Family Jr. On Demand is avideo on demand service featuring programming from Family Jr, available to subscribers of Family. Family Jr. (as Disney Junior) launched its own On Demand channel on May 6, 2011.[68]
Family Jr. Go is a service available on the App Store and Google Play Store. It was initially only available to television customers ofShaw Cable andShaw Direct, but expanded to other providers as years went by. It shows new and old episodes of Family Jr. programming and is part of the Family app.
