Jetix Europe
Fox Kids Europe was founded when the first International Fox Kids channel launched in the United Kingdom in October 1996. After the launch of the UK channel, five additional feeds were launched between 1997 and 1999 for the Netherlands, France, Poland, Scandinavia and Spain. In 2000, 5 additional Fox Kids feeds launched: Italy, Turkey, Germany, Hungary and the Middle East. These launches made Fox Kids the only children's entertainment company with a local channel in every major European market.
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In February 2001, a Fox Kids feed was launched in Israel, while the Hungarian feed was extended to the Czech Republic and Slovakia, while launching in Russia as a programming block on free-to-air channel Ren TV. In June 2001 Fox Kids Europe announced that the Fox Kids brand had become the most widely distributed children's channel in Europe and the Middle East, reaching 24.9 million households and broadcasting in 54 countries via 11 channel feeds in 16 languages. In October 2001, Fox Kids Europe's major owner Fox Family Worldwide was purchased by The Walt Disney Company and renamed ABC Family Worldwide Inc. Fox Kids would later launch a syndicated block for several local stations in Italy. In November 2001, a Greek service was launched with limited 13 hours following a 2-hour block launched in October.
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In January 2004, Fox Kids Europe, Fox Kids Latin America and ABC Cable Networks Group agreed to rename its then current operations under a single umbrella name Jetix, 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 programme library and merchandising.
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On Valentine's Day 2004, Toon Disney and ABC Family launched their Jetix blocks with Jetix Cards Live, the world's first concurrently online and telecast trading card game. Toon Disney had 12 hours of weekly prime time programming to start, and ABC Family had two hours on weekdays and four hours on weekends, all in the morning. In fall 2004 with the addition of three new shows, Toon Disney's U.S. block was expanded to 16 hours.
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During the Jetix rebranding, Fox Kids channels across Europe started to introduce Jetix branded blocks. The UK feed added a Jetix-branded block in April. Fox Kids blocks across the worlds started to change over in April and the first channel in France was changed over in August 2004. Fox Kids Europe N.V. changed its legal name to Jetix Europe N.V. on 14 July 2004.
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In 2008, Jetix Europe licensed out Jetix France to The Walt Disney Company France and Disney-ABC-ESPN Television became its channel distribution partner. In February 2008, Jetix Europe was in talks to join affiliated companies, Disney Channel Europe, ESPN Europe and Disney–ABC International Television (DAIT), in their combined distribution sales unit. In June, Jetix Europe agreed to have DAIT take over distribution sales for all channels across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
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On 8 December 2008, Disney made an agreement to increase ownership in Jetix Europe to 96%, with intentions to purchase the remainder and have Jetix Europe delisted from the Euronext Amsterdam exchange. By 2009, Disney had owned 99.8% of the company. With full Disney control over Jetix Europe, Disney indicated in February 2009 that Jetix blocks and channels would be switched over to Disney branding starting with the Jetix France channel with Disney XD on 1 April 2009.
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Disney relaunched Jetix as Disney XD, in the United States, followed by relaunch in the UK in August 2009, replacing Jetix. That same month, Jetix's on-screen logo was removed and replaced with Disney XD's logo counting down the days to the launch.
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Disney XD was expected to be rolled out to European territories in 2009. Later, however, Disney announced that the Jetix channel in certain countries (Hungary, Romania, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Russia, Bulgaria and Israel) will be renamed to Disney Channel, marking that channel's first introduction in these countries. The change took place on September 19, 2009 in the CEE region.
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On September 19, 2009, Disney Channel replaced Jetix in Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Moldova, Romania and Slovakia. But the Russian feed was still broadcasting under the Jetix name until it was announced that a separate Disney Channel would launch. After the launch of Disney Channel in Romania and Bulgaria, the Jetix feed in Russia began to be independent and got localized, with Russian titlecards and banners with Russian hours.
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The last Jetix channel to close was the Russian version, which was rebranded as Disney Channel on Tuesday, August 10, 2010.
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On December 14, 2017, The Walt Disney Company announced plans to purchase most of the 21st Century Fox assets, including 20th Century Fox, for $52.4 billion. After a bid from Comcast (parent company of NBCUniversal) for $65 billion, Disney counterbid with $71.3 billion. On July 19, 2018, Comcast dropped out of the bid for 21st Century Fox in favor of Sky plc and Sky UK. Eight days later, Disney and 21st Century Fox shareholders approved the merger between the two companies. Although the deal was completed on March 20, 2019, 20th Century Fox was not planning to relocate to Walt Disney Studios in Burbank. It would retain its headquarters in Century City on the Fox Studio Lot, which is currently leased to Disney by Fox Corporation, for seven years.
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On 22nd of December 2017 an "Appointment of a voluntary liquidator" happened for Jetix Europe Limited.
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In March 2019 the remaining shares were purchased by The Walt Disney Company and assets were dispersed into other Disney units. On the 11th of March 2019 Jetix Europe Limited was dissolved.
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Theory: This theory probably isn't true but its interesting if true. Why did it take so long to liquidise/dissolve Jetix Europe Limited? And why didn't Disney buy all the shares until 2019? Jetix Europe Limited was previously owned by Fox Family Worldwide/News corporation but as we know Disney brought Jetix, Disney brought the rest of the shares in March 2019 around the same time Jetix Europe Limited was dissolved and Disney completed its acquisition of Fox the previous owners of Jetix. Why did this all happen around the same time? (was it a coincidence? Probably) It seems like it was kind of planned and if it was planned then the plan had been in place for about 16 to 20 years and they planned to buy most of Fox and this means Disney had to wait for a time where they would be able to buy Fox. This brings up my final question, does Disney have plans for the next 20 years? (Probably?)
Fox Kids Europe N.V. Results Presentation and beginning of Jetix brand
Fox Family Worldwide/Fox Kids Worldwide
Saban Entertainment and SIP
Saban Entertainment, Inc. (along with Saban International; currently operating under the legal name is BVS Entertainment, Inc.) was a worldwide-served independent American-Israeli television production company formed in 1980 by Haim Saban and Shuki Levy as "Saban Records", a U.S. subsidiary of "Saban International Paris" (now SIP Animation). In 1984, the company expanded in television production of its own, and was renamed "Saban Productions". Several years later, the company also established "Saban International" (now Buena Vista International Television), for international distribution of its shows (note: though used interchangeably with "Saban International Paris", they were technically two different entities). Finally, in the early 1990s the company renamed itself "Saban Entertainment".
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Several original animated series were produced for Marvel Comics, and the company's dubbed products began to rapidly increase as the anime boom began. In 1996, Fox Children's Network secured rights from Marvel Entertainment Group for Marvel characters which would be be developed into series. Fox Children's Network merged with Saban Entertainment to form Fox Kids Worldwide, which included the Marvel Productions and Marvel Films Animation library. Shortly afterwards, Saban terminated its deal with WarnerVision, and decided that they would move itself to 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. Both Marvel and Saban would become parts of The Walt Disney Company; Saban (renamed BVS Entertainment) in 2002 and Marvel by the end of 2009.
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Saban International Paris was founded in France by Haim Saban and Jacqueline Tordjman in 1977 as a record company. In 1989, Saban International Paris moved into the animation field. The studio would go on to produce many animated series for Fox Kids Europe in the 1990s and 2000s. Haim Saban departed the company in 2001 with the purchase of Fox Family Worldwide, which was followed by The Walt Disney Company taking a stake in the company and a name change to SIP Animation on October 1, 2002. SIP continued to co-produce animated series with Jetix Europe (previously Fox Kids Europe) during the 2000s. SIP Animation was closed in 2008.
Fox Kids and Saban Entertainment
In October 1996, a Fox Kids channel was launched in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and in November, it started broadcasting in Latin America and Brazil. In November 1999, Fox Kids Europe N.V. was formed, with 75.7% being held by Fox Family Worldwide, and the remainder listed on the Euronext.
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In 1997, Fox Kids Worldwide made a bid to acquire IFE. With the growing shift in children's television from over-the-air programming blocks to cable channels such as Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon, Fox and Saban sought to launch a competitor that would carry programming from the popular Fox Kids lineup. Overseeing The Family Channel, News Corp. made an offer to purchase IFE through the joint venture in 1997. IFE was folded into Fox Kids Worldwide, which itself was renamed Fox Family Worldwide.
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On July 23, 2001, it was announced that the group would be sold to The Walt Disney Company as part of the sale of Fox Family Worldwide/Fox Kids Worldwide (now ABC Family Worldwide) by Haim Saban and News Corporation, and on October 24, 2001, the sale was completed and the group was renamed BVS (Buena Vista Studios) Entertainment.
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Haim Saban left Saban International Paris in the same year and was eventually split and sold off from Saban Entertainment to become an independent studio. Disney would eventually purchase a 49% minority stake in this division, which on October 1, 2002, was renamed to SIP Animation, which continued producing content until 2009.
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Renaming
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In October 2001, the group was sold to Disney as part of the sale of Fox Family Worldwide (now ABC Family) by Haim Saban and the News Corporation, and renamed BVS Entertainment. Concurrently, Fox Kids was replaced with the Fox Box (now known as 4Kids TV), featuring a line of shows from 4Kids Entertainment. Disney gained ownership of all Saban's products, and began to air many of them on ABC Family, and later on Toon Disney in a programming block called Jetix. The European Fox Kids channel continued to run under that name until the beginning of 2005, when it was also rebranded as "Jetix", as is the former Fox Kids channel in Latin America.