El Segundo, Calif. -- DirecTv Inc. was expected to add Toon
Disney to its lineup coinciding with the channel's planned launch last Saturday.
The new cartoon-based channel was slated to be placed next
to Disney Channel on the direct-broadcast satellite company's programming lineup.
Toon Disney was set to be included in all DirecTv "Total Choice" packages, which
start at $29.99 per month, meaning no additional charges to subscribers.
The network said last week that it would launch with 3
million subscribers, including analog carriage on a number of MSOs, such as Marcus Cable.
Toon Disney also previously announced a deal with DirecTv rival EchoStar Communications
Corp.'s Dish Network. Carriage on DirecTv doubled Toon Disney's planned base to
more than 6 million homes at launch.
Toon Disney will be programmed from more than 2,000
episodes of animated-television programming in The Walt Disney Co.'s library, and it
will feature exclusive Disney-branded animation, as well as titles shared with Disney
Channel.
DirecTv is a unit of Hughes Electronics Corp., which is a
unit of General Motors Corp.
