This is an accepted version of this page
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| Type | Children's television network and programming block |
|---|---|
| Country | United States Netherlands Argentina[1] |
| Broadcast area | Worldwide |
| Stations | Jetix Play |
| Headquarters | Burbank, California (US programming block) Buenos Aires, Argentina (Latin American channel)[1] Hilversum, Netherlands (European and MENA channels) |
| Programming | |
| Language | Available in over 20 languages |
| Picture format | 576i (SDTV) |
| Timeshift service | Jetix +1 (United Kingdom and Italy) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | The Walt Disney Company |
| Parent |
|
| Sister channels |
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| History | |
| Founded | January 2004 |
| Launched | 14 February 2004 (2004-02-14) (as a programming block) August 2004 (2004-08) (as a channel) |
| Replaced | Fox Kids (Europe, Latin America) |
| Closed | 13 February 2009 (2009-02-13) (programming block in the US) 10 August 2010 (2010-08-10) (as a channel) |
| Replaced by | Disney XD orDisney Channel (see table) |
| Former names | Fox Kids (in Europe, Middle East, and Latin America) |
| Links | |
| Website | jetix jetixtv jetix |
Jetix (stylized inall caps) was a children's entertainment brand owned byThe Walt Disney Company. The brand was for a slate of action- and adventure-related programming blocks and television channels. Jetix programming mainly originated from theSaban Entertainment library, airing live-action and animated series with some original programming. The channel's target audience was older children and adolescents aged 8–15.
Jetix was first launched as a programming block in theUnited States onToon Disney on 14 February 2004, to compete withCartoon Network'sToonami block,[2] and in Europe in April 2004.[3] By the end of 2004, Jetix began completely replacing the internationalFox Kids channels around the world, the first being theFrench version in August 2004,[4] and the last one being theGerman version, in June 2005.[5][6]
Although it was commercially successful, the Jetix brand was discontinued in 2009. All international channels were rebranded as eitherDisney XD orDisney Channel due to The Walt Disney Company's focus on its existing television brands. The last Jetix channel to shut down was Jetix channel in Russia (replaced withDisney Channel Russia) on 10 August 2010, and was fully discontinued with the shutdown ofJetix Play in the Middle East on 1 September 2010, which was replaced withPlayhouse Disney, laterDisney Junior.[6]
In January 2004, Fox Kids Europe, Fox Kids Latin America (both of which were purchased by Disney in 2001 as part ofFox Family Worldwide) and theABC Cable Networks Group agreed to rename its then current operations under a single brand, calledJetix,[7][8] which helped strengthen its then operations into a single force. The Jetix name was applied to its programming blocks which aired on ABC Family and Toon Disney, its television channels in Europe and Latin America, along with its program library and merchandising.[7] After Fox Kids closed in the US, much of the content previously aired on the block moved to ABC Family and Toon Disney; the international Fox Kids networks kept operating despite their US forerunner becoming defunct.
The Jetix name was chosen after the company conducted international research specifically with a number of children's focus groups. Many of the children chose the name as it implied action and adventure, and the company was able to use the name internationally due to its ambiguity. Bruce Steinberg, chairman and chief executive officer of Fox Kids Europe, explained that Jetix would help strengthen Fox Kids Europe's partnership with Disney while building new alliances to continue to successfully leverage its programming library and distribution.[9][10]
On 14 February 2004,Toon Disney andABC Family launched Jetix withJetix Cards Live, the world's first concurrently online and telecast trading card game.[2] ABC Family aired Jetix on weekdays from 7am to 9am and weekends 7am to 12 noon ET/PT. The block also aired on Toon Disney on both weekdays (Monday-Thursday) and weekends from 7pm to 9pm ET/PT.[11]
Outside of the United States, Jetix was first launched as a programming block on the European Fox Kids channels in April 2004,[3] airing in mornings and afternoons.[12]
The transition of Fox Kids networks into Jetix started in August 2004 with the French version's rebranding,[4] which was followed by the Latin American version later in the month.[13] The transitioning continued throughout 2004 and 2005 with the rebranding of the Scandinavian version in October 2004, versions in most European territories in January 2005, the Netherlands in February, and Italy and Israel in March. The transition was completed in June 2005 when the final Fox Kids network in Germany was rebranded as Jetix.[14]
TheFox Kids Play channels available in CEE and MENA (which primarily aired archive programming from Saban, Fox Kids, and Jetix archives, including someDiC Entertainment shows) were rebranded as Jetix Play, on 1 January 2005.[15]
The Jetix brand unified the children's programming department at ABC's domestic cable networks, as well as Fox Kids in Europe and Latin America, in a joint programming alliance. The first Jetix Europe co-productions wereW.I.T.C.H. andSuper Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!, withGet Ed andYin Yang Yo! following in 2005 and 2006 respectively.
In Fall 2006, Toon Disney in the United States became the exclusive home for Jetix, effectively ending the block on ABC Family.[16] The Jetix programming block took up most of Toon Disney's airtime, taking 12 hours on weekdays and 19 hours on weekends, until the network was replaced by Disney XD in the United States on 13 February 2009.[17]
Disney XD was to be slightly different from Jetix; it still mostly focused on the boy demographic, but would include more live-action productions under the Disney banner and also be a home for Disney's recent animated productions (for both boys and girls), effectively superseding Toon Disney in the United States. The new brand was to be "aimed at boys ages 6–14 and features content focusing on the themes of adventure, accomplishment, gaming, music and sports."[18]
On 8 December 2008, two months before the U.S. launch of Disney XD, Disney announced that it would be increasing its shares in Jetix Europe to 96% with the intention to buy the remaining shares in the company, effectively ending Jetix Europe's autonomy.[19] Disney wanted full control of the company and to bring the European Jetix channels completely under the Disney umbrella, enabling Disney to have a singular unified strategy for its channels. After the completion of Jetix Europe's share buy-back offer, Jetix Europe was delisted from the Euronext Amsterdam stock exchange on 27 February 2009.[20][21] In the discontinuation of the Jetix brand, Jetix Europe's CEO Paul Taylor resigned, with John Hardie, the Executive Vice President of Disney Channels EMEA as CEO on 11 February 2009. John Hardie left Disney forITN in June 2009 and was replaced with Giorgio Stock (who later became head ofTurner Broadcasting System Europe).[22]
In June 2008, Disney France announced that Disney Channel and Jetix would merge operations; at the time, Jetix was being affected by falling carriage rates and came close to being removed from theCanalSat television provider in France after protracted negotiations. Jetix France was the first European version of Jetix to make the conversion to Disney XD on 1 April 2009.[23][24]
Jetix became Disney Channel in countries where it was not already available (most notably the Central Eastern Europe and the Hungarian, Czech, Slovakian, Romanian, and Israeli feeds). The last main Jetix feed in operation, Jetix Russia, was rebranded to Disney Channel on 10 August 2010. Also, in the countries where Jetix Play broadcast, it became a localised version ofPlayhouse Disney; however, the rollout was not synchronized with the conversion of the main Jetix networks in these areas, instead happening between 2010 and 2011, one region at a time.[25][15]
In Italy, the managing director of Jetix Italy, Francesco Nespega, led a management buyout; Jetix Italy was renamed as Switchover Media and was now responsible for two channels that were previously operated by Jetix Italy, cable television channelGXT and free-to-air channelK2 (as of 2024, they are operated byWarner Bros. Discovery EMEA). However, the main Jetix Italy channel remained at Disney and was rebranded as Disney XD in September 2009.[26]
| Market | Type | Formerly | (Fox Kids) launch date[27] | Replacement | Replaced date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | Block onFamily Channel | Power Box | 10 September 2006[28] | discontinued[citation needed] | 1 August 2009 |
| United States | Block onABC Family mornings | Unnamed children's action/adventure block (common name: ABC Family Action Block) | 14 February 2004[2] | Discontinued | 31 August2006[29] |
| Block onToon Disney prime time | None | 14 February 2004[2] | Merged with Toon Disney to becomeDisney XD | 13 February 2009[30] | |
| Italy | Channel | (April 2000)[27]March 2005[31] | Disney XD | September 2009[32] | |
| Latin America | Fox Kids | (November 1996[33])August 2004[13] | 3 July 2009[34] | ||
| Japan | Block on Toon Disney Japan | None | December 2005[35] | 9 August 2009[36] | |
| India | Block on Toon Disney India (English) | 16 December 2004[37][38] | Jetix[37][38][39] | 2007[38] | |
| Block onSTAR One 7 to 8 pm Saturday and Sunday (Hindi) | 2 July 2005[40] | None | 2009[41] | ||
| Channel[38] | Toon Disney India | 2007[38] | Disney XD India[38] | 14 November 2009[38] | |
| Central and Eastern Europe | Channel | Fox Kids | (1 April 1999)1 January 2005[31] | Disney Channel | 19 September 2009[42] |
| United Kingdom and Ireland | (19 October 1996[43])January 2005[9] | Disney XD | 2009 fall[44] | ||
| Block on Fox Kids | April 2004[44] | Jetix | January 2005[9] | ||
| Netherlands | Channel | 13 February 2005[31] | Disney XD | 1 January 2010[45] | |
| France | (November 1997)August 2004[4] | 1 April 2009[46] | |||
| Poland | (18 April 1998[47] )1 January 2005[31] | 18September 2009[48][49] | |||
| Block onPolsat | (May 1998[50]) | None | Discontinued | ||
| Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia | Channel | (September 2000)1 January 2005[31] | Disney Channel (Hungary),Disney Channel (Czech Republic), Disney Channel Slovakia | September 2009[51][52][53] | |
| Block on Fox Kids | April 2004 | None | January 2005 | ||
| Hungary | Block onTV2 | None | (2003[54]) | Discontinued | |
| Block onMagyar TV | (2000[55]) | ||||
| Australia | Block onDisney Channel | September 2004[citation needed] | March 2009[citation needed] | ||
| Scandinavia | Block | Fox Kids | (May 1998[50]) | None | 12 September 2009[citation needed] |
| Channel | (12 February 1998[47])October 2004[31] | Disney XD | 12 September 2009[56] | ||
| Spain | Block onMinimax | (May 1998[50]) | None | Discontinued | |
| Channel | (15 November 1998)7 January 2005[31] | Disney XD | 18 September 2009[57] | ||
| South Korea | Block, weekdays onCHAMP | None | May 2005[58] | None | 2009[citation needed] |
| Germany | Channel | Fox Kids | (October 2000)[59]10 June 2005[60] | Disney XD | October 2009[61] |
| 30 minute block on Saturday mornings onKabel 1 | None | 30 October 2004[62] | None | Discontinued | |
| Turkey, Middle East and North Africa | Channel | Fox Kids | November 2000[59](Fox Kids);January 2005[31] (Jetix) | Disney XD | October 2009[63] |
| Turkey | Block onShow TV | None | (2000)[55] | None | Discontinued |
| Bulgaria | Block onBalkan News | ||||
| Channel | Fox Kids | 2003 | Disney Channel | September 2009[64] | |
| Israel | (February 2001)[59]6 March 2005[31] | Disney Channel | 9 September 2009[65] | ||
| Greece | (October 2001)January 2005[31] | Disney XD (Greece) | 2009[66] | ||
| Russia | Channel and block onREN TV channel | (1 April 1999, channel; 2001 block)[54] 2005 | Disney Channel (Russia) | 10 August 2010[6] | |
| Vietnam | Block onVTV | None | November 2005[67] | Discontinued | 2009 |
| Kazakhstan | Block onKTK | 2006[68] |
| Market | Name | Type | Formerly | Launch date[27] | Replacement | Replaced date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central and Eastern Europe | Jetix Play | Channel | Fox Kids Play | October 2003[27] | Playhouse Disney | 1 August 2010 (almost all countries, excepting Romania) 12 March 2011 (Romania) |
| India | Jetix Action Station | Block onToon Disney weekdays (Tamil, Telugu and English) | None | December 2004[69] | Disney XD | 14 November 2009[70] |
| Italy | GXT | Channel | May 2005[71] | Sold | June 2009[72] | |
| K2 | Syndicated block / channel | Fox Kids | 2002[54]/2009[73] | |||
| Poland | Jetix Play | Channel | Fox Kids Play | November 2003 | Playhouse Disney | 31 July 2010[15] |
| Greece | 2010 | |||||
| Turkey andMENA Region | 2004[when?] | 1 June 2011[74] | ||||
| United Kingdom | 1 January 2005 | Discontinued | 1 August 2010[74] | |||
| Jetix +1 | Timeshift service | Fox Kids + | Same as Jetix UK | Disney XD +1 | Same as Jetix UK | |
| Russia | Jetix Play | Channel | None | Discontinued | August 1, 2010[74] | |
| Spain | Jetix Max | Block on Jetix early evening weekday[75] | ||||
| +1 | Timeshift service | June 2006 | Disney XD +1 | Same as Jetix Spain | ||
| Central and Eastern Europe | Jetix Max | Block on Jetix[76] |
Jetix was primarily created through Disney's ownership of theSaban Entertainment library (acquired along with ABC Family Worldwide in 2001), which included shows fromMarvel Productions; action-adventure shows were the primary programming theme, though not all Jetix networks and blocks were necessarily limited to that genre. Furthermore, programming from outside producers and distributors were also included.[77]
Jetix Animation Concepts was a brand byWalt Disney Television Animation used for animation co-produced by and for the Jetix global group by the ABC Cable Networks Group.[4]
As part of brand extension, many of the overseas Jetix networks engaged in various marketing exercises, including print publications, awards shows and sporting events.
In the U.K.,Future plc published the officialJetix Magazine; it was launched in early September 2004 by Jetix Consumer Products and Future Publishing.[78] Cavan Scott was the magazine's initial editor.[79] Published every four weeks, it featured puzzles and features based on the channel's shows. The magazine also came with a free DVD featuring shows from the channel.[78]
In other countries, includingBulgaria, the Netherlands,[80] and Romania, similar Jetix magazines were also produced.
With the purchase of the remaining Jetix Europe shares by The Walt Disney Company and the change over of the channels to a Disney branded channel, Future renamed the magazine toNitro!, to become an independent magazine with the same general focus.[81]
InCEE, there was annual children's awards show calledJetix Kids Awards, in which children could vote their favorite shows and stars, in order to win prizes. The last edition took place in 2008.[82][83][84][85]
TheJetix Kids Cup (formerly known as theFox Kids Cup[86][87][88]) was anassociation football tournament in which children from 16 countries competed to "promote fair play, sportsmanship and cultural exchange".[89]
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