Disney reveals ABC1 details

US network television is launching into the UK as Disney today unveiled details of its upcoming British terrestrial channel, carrying shows like General Hospital, Sports Night and Once & Again.

Under the ABC1 banner, the general entertainment channel will launch on Freeview on Monday September 27, with plans for a multi-platform roll-out. It will be the first non-Disney branded channel from the parent group to launch outside of the US, as well as the first time Disney’s 40-year-old ABC broadcasting brand has expanded outside the US.

ABC1’s schedule will focus on US drama, comedy and serials drawn almost entirely from the parental library, with UK premieres of the soap General Hospital and Sports Night, the sitcom from West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin. Additional launch programming will include The Geena Davis Show, Once & Again, Home Improvement and 8 Simple Rules.

The channel has also acquired Sony sitcom Mad About You and later intends to “commission and invest in original UK production and to introduce a regular movie slot”.

ABC1 will initially broadcast during daytime, from 06.00 to 18.00, with ambitions to build into a 24-hour schedule by 2010. The network is understood to be ad-free for the first six months. The launch will be overseen by John Hardie, senior vice-president and managing director of Walt Disney Branded Television for Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Hardie said: “The launch of the ABC brand signals the Walt Disney’s Company’s long-term commitment to the UK. In its first phase, ABC1 will champion an underserved British audience – people who are busy at home during the day. All day long, ABC1 will provide the daytime viewer with well written, high quality entertainment.”

By launching ABC1 this autumn, Disney is following in the footsteps of another US major, Fox. The News Corp-owned broadcaster, also one of America’s ‘big four’ networks, launched pay channel FX into the UK in January.