The Walt Disney Co. will now offer additional programming from ESPN and ABC Sports, ABC Ent. and Touchstone Television, ABC Family, ABC News, Buena Vista Television, Disney Channel and SOAPnet, as well as content produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation on the iTunes Music Store (www.itunes.com).
Beginning later this month, Disney Channel will provide episodes of the animated series KIM POSSIBLE and THE PROUD FAMILY. In addition, the libraries of ABC Ent. and Touchstone Television will sell the popular 1970's Saturday morning SCHOOL HOUSE ROCK vignettes.
Classic animated shorts produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and featured on Buena Vista Home Entertainment's upcoming DISNEY AT THE ACADEMY AWARDS, including the 1933 Academy Award-winning THE THREE LITTLE PIGS and the 1935 Academy Award-winning THE TORTOISE AND THE HARE, will also be available.
"Our animated product has always been the touchstone of The Walt Disney Co.," stated Dick Cook, chairman, The Walt Disney Studios. "We are pleased that in addition to offering our classic animated shorts on DVD, we will now reach an even broader audience with programming on Apple's iTunes Music Store. It is certainly gratifying to know that consumers of all ages will get to experience first hand the remarkable and award-winning works from some of the most gifted animators in history."
"We look forward to building upon the success of our initial iTunes offerings and are dedicated to providing consumers with a variety of high quality entertainment and news content that they can view at their convenience, regardless of time, place or platform," said Anne Sweeney, co-chair, Disney Media Networks and president, Disney ABC Television Group. "We believe that making our content available on iTunes results in incremental viewing opportunities and also furthers awareness of our programs and brands."
Available for purchase for $1.99 per episode, all of this new content joins the other Disney ABC Television Group programming including LOST, already available for purchase on the iTunes Music Store.
The Walt Disney Co., together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a leading diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise with four business segments: media networks, parks and resorts, studio entertainment and consumer products. Disney is a Dow 30 company, had annual revenues of nearly $32 billion in its most recent fiscal year, and a market capitalization of $46 billion as of Dec. 30, 2005.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
