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ABC, Inc.[1] DBA Disney–ABC Television Group[2] (a.k.a. Disney–ABC[3]) manages all of The Walt Disney Company's Disney and ABC-branded television properties. The group includes the ABC Television Network (including ABC Daytime, ABC Entertainment, and ABC News divisions), as well as Disney's 50% stake in A&E Television Networks and its 80% controlling stake in ESPN, Inc.[4] While holding the controlling stake in ESPN, Disney–ABC and ESPN operate as separate units of Disney Media Networks.[5]
In 1996, Disney acquired Capital Cities/ABC[6] bringing ABC Television Network Group, CC/ABC Broadcasting Group (ABC Radio Network, eight TV and 21 radio stations), ABC Cable and International Broadcast Group, CC/ABC Publishing Group and CC/ABC Multimedia Group. The Cable and International Broadcast Group contained ownership shares of ESPN, Inc. (80%) A&E Television Networks (37.5%), Lifetime Television (50%) and its international investments. These investments included Tele-München (50%, Germany; included 20% of RTL II), Hamster Productions. (33%, France) and Scandinavian Broadcasting System (23%, Luxembourg). ESPN also had international holdings: Eurosport (33.3%, England), TV Sport (10%, France; Eurosport affiliate) and The Japan Sports Channel (20%). The Publishing Group including Fairchild Publications, Chilton Publications, multiple newspapers from a dozen dailies (including the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram, The Kansas City Star) and more weeklies, and dozens more publications in the fields of farm, business and law trade journals plus LA Magazine to Institutional Investor. The Multimedia Group pursued businesses in new and emerging media technologies, including the interactive television, pay-per-view, VOD, HDTV, video cassette, Optical disc, on-line services and location-based entertainment.[7]
In April 1996, due to ongoing post Disney-CC/ABC merger realignment and retirement of its president, WDTT group's division were reassigned to other groups with Walt Disney Television International (including Disney Channel International and Buena Vista Television domestic syndication and Pay TV division and GMTV and Super RTL holdings) were transferred to Capital Cities/ABC.[8] In May due to the merger, ABC ended its ABC Productions division operations while keeping its boutique production companies: Victor Television, DIC Entertainment and Greengrass Productions.[9] The international operations of Disney TV International and ABC Cable and International Broadcast Group were merged in June as Disney/ABC International Television.[10]
Disney had ABC Group sell various publishing companies in 1997. Chilton was sold to Reed Elsevier for $447 million and got $142 million from Euromoney Publications for Institutional Investor. While in April Knight Ridder purchased four newspapers including The Kansas City Star and The Fort Worth Star-Telegram for $1.65 billion. In August 1999, Fairchild Publications was sold to Conde Nast Publications.[11]
In late 1999, Walt Disney Television Studio (also called Buena Vista Television Group), including Buena Vista Television Productions, were transferred out of the Disney Studios to ABC Television Network to merge with ABC's prime-time division, ABC Entertainment, to form ABC Entertainment Television Group. Also Walt Disney Television Studio changed its name to Touchstone Television.[12][13][14]
ABC Group chairman Robert A. Iger was named president and chief operating officer of The Walt Disney Company.[15]
In September 2002, Disney Chairman/CEO Michael Eisner outlined a proposed realignment of the ABC broadcast network day parts with the similar unit in its cable channels: ABC Saturday mornings with Disney Channels (Toon & Playhouse), ABC daytime with Soapnet and ABC prime time with ABC Family.[16] In October 000000002003-10-01-0000October 2003, ABC Family Worldwide was changed from a Disney COO directly reporting unit to being with in the ABC Cable Networks Group run by Anne Sweeney.[17]
On 000000002004-04-21-0000April 21, 2004, Disney announced a restructuring of its Disney Media Networks division with Sweeney being named president of ABC parent Disney–ABC Television Group (DATG), and ESPN president
Disney Channels Worldwide includes over 100 channels available in 34 languages and 166 countries/territories. Branded channels include Disney Channel, Disney Junior , Disney XD, Disney Cinemagic, Hungama and DLife.
On August 24, 1994 with Jeffrey Katzenberg's resignation, Richard Frank became head of Walt Disney Television and Telecommunications.[38] Walt Disney Computer Software was transferred with in WDTT on December 5, 1994 as Disney Interactive.[39] In April 1996 due to ongoing post Disney-CC/ABC merger realignment and retirement of its president, WDTT group's division were reassigned to other groups with most transferred to The Walt Disney Studios or CC/ABC.[8] KCAL was sold to Young Broadcasting in May 1996 due to CC/ABC ownership of another TV station in the market.[37]
Walt Disney Television and Telecommunications (WDTT) was a division of The Walt Disney Company. At the time Disney and Capital Cities/ABC merged, WDTT's divisions were The Disney Channel, KCAL-TV Los Angeles, Walt Disney Television, Touchstone Television and Buena Vista Home Video International, and Disney Interactive.[7]
ABC, Inc. DBA Disney–ABC Television Group[34]
On 000000002013-08-21-0000August 21, 2013, Disney–ABC announced it will layoff 175 employees. The layoffs are expected to hit positions among technical operations as well as the unit's eight local stations.[32] On October 28, ABC News and Univision launched Fusion, a Hispanic news and satire shows cable channel.[33]
In 000000002012-07-01-0000July 2012, NBCUniversal confirmed plans to sell its 15.8% stake in A+E Networks to Disney and Hearst Entertainment & Syndication, who became 50-50 partners in the joint venture.[31]
On 000000002009-01-22-0000January 22, 2009, Disney–ABC said it would merge ABC Entertainment and ABC Studios into a new unit called ABC Entertainment Group.[23][24] That April, ABC Enterprises took an ownership stake in Hulu in exchange for online distribution license and $25 million in ABC network ad credits.[25] The Live Well Network (LWN) was launched on 000000002009-04-27-0000April 27, 2009 by ABC Owned Television Stations on the stations' subchannels[26][27][28] Late that year, A+E Networks acquired Lifetime Entertainment Services with DATG ownership increasing to 42%.[29] In November, Disney-ABC sells GMTV to ITV for $37 million.[30]
In 000000002007-02-01-0000February 2007, Touchstone Television was renamed ABC Television Studio as part of Disney's push to drop secondary brands like Buena Vista for Disney, ABC and ESPN.[21] ABC1 in the UK was shut down on 000000002007-09-26-0000September 26, 2007.[22]
[20] and affiliates.ABC owned & operated was launched that year in the US on digital subchannel of 70 ABC News Now While [19] as the first use of the ABC brand outside the US.September 27, 2004000000002004-09-27-0000 on United Kingdom initially launched in the ABC1 channel [18]
Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Walt Disney, Disney Consumer Products, Pixar
General Hospital, Espn, Happy Days, Monday Night Football, Three's Company
ITV Breakfast, Breakfast television, Sky News, Disney, Itv.com
American Broadcasting Company, The Walt Disney Company, Live Well Network, Hulu, Disney–ABC Television Group
Jetix, Fox Kids, Phineas and Ferb, Greek language, Disney XD
Types of business entity, Parent company, American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres, ABC News, Tom Clancy
Disney Channel, Disney XD, Nickelodeon, Playhouse Disney, American Broadcasting Company