The Walt Disney Company

The Walt Disney Company
Founded	1923 (as Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio) 1929 (as Walt Disney Productions) 1986 (as The Walt Disney Company)
President	Robert Iger
Notable Works	ABC, Disney Channel, ABC Studios, Walt Disney Television Animation

"Disney" redirects here. For the film producer and entrepreneur, see Walt Disney.

The Walt Disney Company (commonly referred to as Disney) is one of the worlds largest media and entertainment corporations.

History

The company was founded in 1923 as a small animation studio, Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, by Walt and Roy Disney. In 1929 it was re-incorperated as Walt Disney Productions, and in 1986 the name changed to the current.

The Wonderful World of Disney, premiering in 1954, was the first TV series produced by Disney (although a hand full of TV specials predates it). At the time, Disney was a significantly smaller company, and no specific television arm was needed - thus all early Disney TV productions were produced by the parent company itself, then named Walt Disney Productions.

During the 1980s, Disney expanded its business, which, among other things, included TV production subsidiaries: Walt Disney Television (established in 1983), Walt Disney Television Animation (1984) and Touchstone Television (1985), as well as a cable network: Disney Channel (1983).

In the 1990s the expansion continued, including the purchase of national TV network ABC (alongside ESPN, A&E, Lifetime and their sister networks) in 1996.

Today Disney has grown to be one of the largest companies in the US television industry. Major television related acquirings made by Disney during the last decade include: Fox Family (later renamed ABC Family) and Saban Entertainment (including Marvel Productions) in 2001; The Muppets and other related productions in 2004 (forming The Muppets Studio); Pixar Animations Studios in 2006; Marvel Entertainment (including Marvel Studios and Marvel Animation) in 2009; Lucasfilm Ltd. (including Lucasfilm Television and Lucasfilm Animition) in 2012; and selected assets of 21st Century Fox (including 20th Century Fox Television and 20th Television) in 2019.

Current US television assets

Networks

• ABC
• ABC Family
• Disney Channel
• Disney XD
• SOAPnet
• A&E Television Networks and Lifetime Entertainment Services (joint venture between The Walt Disney Company (50%), Hearst Corporation (50%))
  • Including A&E, The Biography Channel, The History Channel, Lifetime, and their sister networks.
• ESPN, Inc. (joint venture between The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Corporation (20%))
  • Including ESPN and its sister networks.
• Hulu (joint venture between The Walt Disney Company (60%), Comcast (30%), AT&T (10%)
• FX Networks
  • Including FX, FXX, FXM and minority ownership in FX (Canada) and FXX (Canada).

Live-action production companies

• ABC Studios
• ABC Entertainment
• ABC News
• 20th Century Fox Television
• Fox 21 Television Studios
• It's a Laugh Productions
• Greengrass Productions
• Lucasfilm Television
• Marvel Television
• The Muppets Studio
• Horizon Productions

Animation studios

• Disney Television Animation
• Fox Television Animation
• Lucasfilm Animation
• Marvel Animation
• Pixar Animation Studios

Syndication companies

• Disney-ABC Domestic Television
• 20th Television

Additional US television assets

Defunct assets

• Jetix Concept Animation
• Walt Disney Productions
• Walt Disney Television
• Jumbo Pictures
• The Baby Einstein Company

Acquired catalogs

• Saban Entertainment
• Marvel Productions
• Four Star Television
• New World Television
• MTM Enterprises
• Metromedia Producers Corporation

Sold assets

• DiC Entertainment