You might have heard Disney Jr is returning to linear TV this week, thanks to Sky – but it turns out it won’t be everywhere you might expect.
Sky has confirmed to us that the returning preschool channel will not be available on its streaming service NOW, despite being part of the Sky Kids pack. There are no plans to add it to the streaming service either.
This is highly unusual. Normally, channels and on-demand content available on Sky are also available on NOW – that’s kind of the whole point of NOW as Sky’s streaming-only alternative.
But Disney Jr is breaking that pattern, and the reasons why may reveal a lot about Disney’s careful strategy for returning to UK television.
And for those hoping, the new channel won’t be available on Virgin Media TV or EE TV either.
What Is Disney Jr?
If you missed our previous article, here’s the quick version: Disney Jr is making a surprise return to UK television five years after Disney shut down all its children’s channels.
The preschool channel originally launched in the UK back in 2000 as Playhouse Disney, before being rebranded as Disney Jr in 2011. It ran successfully for 20 years, showing programmes like Bluey, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and PJ Masks.
But in 2020, Disney pulled the plug on Disney Channel, Disney XD, and Disney Jr, declaring that Disney+ would be the “exclusive home” for all its kids content in the UK. The channels vanished from Sky and Virgin Media on October 1 2020.
At the time, Disney was going all-in on streaming. Traditional TV was supposed to be dead, and Disney+, which had launched just six months earlier, was the future.
Fast forward to 2025, and things have changed. Disney’s streaming-only strategy isn’t enough anymore, apparently.
Disney+ has seen subscriber growth slow, prices have more than doubled (from £5.99 to £14.99 for premium), and the streaming wars have become increasingly brutal.
Disney Jr returns to Sky on Thursday, November 13, as part of the Sky Kids pack. But as we’re now finding out, there are some strings attached.
Why Isn’t It On NOW?
Sky’s NOW (formerly known as NOW TV) streaming service was originally meant to be Sky’s answer to streaming services like Netflix.
And even though we now also have Sky Stream, NOW remains the more flexible service, since it’s available as a standalone app on almost every streaming device.
The Disney Jr. NOW restriction is odd because it breaks Sky’s usual pattern. Traditionally most channels on Sky have always been available on NOW as well (providing you have the right membership – Entertainment (which includes Kids), Cinema or Sports).
There have been a few exceptions here and there – but overall, there’s content parity between the two platforms.
Sky hasn’t explained the reasoning behind the decision not to include Disney Jr in NOW, but we can speculate on what’s happening: there’s a good chance Disney doesn’t want to cannibalise its own streaming service, Disney+.
Making Disney Jr available as a traditional linear channel on Sky – complete with scheduled programming – is one thing. It can act as a shop window, giving families a taste of Disney content and hopefully encouraging them to subscribe to Disney+ for the full library.
And yes, Disney Jr’s content will also be available to stream on-demand, on Sky’s devices (and even via Sky Go) – but those are still an inherent part of your Sky bundle, not standalone services.
But making Disney Jr easily accessible on a pure streaming service like NOW? That starts to compete directly with Disney+.
Think about it from Disney’s perspective. If parents could get Disney Jr content through their NOW Entertainment subscription (which costs £9.99 a month, or less with some offers), why would they bother paying for Disney+?
By keeping Disney Jr off NOW, Disney maintains a clearer distinction between traditional scheduled TV and on-demand streaming.
Sky subscribers get the linear channel as part of their premium TV package, but if you want Disney content on a streaming-only platform, Disney would prefer you use Disney+.
What About Virgin Media And EE TV?
The restrictions don’t stop with NOW. We’ve also confirmed that Disney Jr won’t be available on Virgin Media TV either.
Back in 2020, when Disney shut down its UK channels, both Sky and Virgin Media lost access. Now, with Disney Jr returning, Sky has clearly secured some form of exclusive deal.
For Virgin Media customers with kids, this is frustrating. The company’s Kids pack is very similar to Sky’s Kids pack, and includes channels like Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Boomerang and Sky Kids – but Disney Jr won’t be joining that lineup.
If you want Disney Jr, you’ll need to stick with a Disney+ subscription.
EE TV customers are also out of luck, but for a different reason. EE TV uses NOW’s platform for its TV service, so the same restriction that keeps Disney Jr off NOW also keeps it off EE TV.
If you’re an EE or BT broadband customer using their TV box, you won’t be able to watch the new channel.
Who Can Actually Watch Disney Jr?
Let’s break down who can and can’t watch the returning channel:
You CAN watch Disney Jr if you have:
- Sky Satellite with the Sky Kids pack
- Sky Glass with the Sky Kids pack
- Sky Stream with the Sky Kids pack
- Sky Go (if you’re a Sky subscriber with the Kids pack)
You CANNOT watch Disney Jr if you have:
- NOW Entertainment membership
- Virgin Media TV
- EE TV
- Freeview
- Freesat
The channel will be available in HD, and Sky will include both the live linear channel and on-demand content.
And of course, as mentioned, the shows will continue to be available on Disney+.
What This Actually Means
So what’s really going on here? Well, Disney isn’t exactly throwing open the doors to traditional TV again.
They’ve clearly realised that the whole “Disney+ or nothing” approach from 2020 was a bit too rigid.
Traditional TV still matters – especially for parents of young kids who just want to stick something on the telly while they make dinner, rather than faff about with yet another streaming app.
But Disney knows that if they make Disney Jr too widely available, people with kids might cancel Disney+. So they’re being very careful about where the channel appears.
Sky subscribers with the Kids pack? Sure, have Disney Jr – you’re already paying good money for premium TV anyway. Sky Go for mobile viewing? Fine, you’ve already got Sky.
But NOW, where people pay £9.99 or less a month for streaming-only access? Nope.
This is all happening while UK children’s television – at least in its linear TV form – is basically collapsing around us. Just last week we reported that Pop channels are shutting down in December because “commercial value across the UK kids’ TV market is now just 4% of what it was ten years ago.”
CITV closed in 2023. The BBC is pretty much all that’s left for free-to-air kids’ content.
So Disney bringing back Disney Jr – even with all these restrictions – is still kind of a big deal. But let’s not kid ourselves that this is some grand return to traditional television.
It’s a carefully managed experiment to see if a linear channel can help Disney’s overall business without undermining Disney+ (same as we saw with Disney+ content appearing on ITVX).
If you’re already a Sky subscriber with the Kids pack, great – you’ll get Disney Jr when it launches on Thursday. For everyone else? Disney’s comeback to UK TV isn’t as widespread as we might have hoped.
For more news on TV and streaming, Subscribe to our free newsletter.