Foxtel and The Walt Disney Company Australia announced a new agreement that will see Disney Channel become available to all subscribers as part of the Foxtel Essentials pack, as well as new Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, Disney-Pixar and Marvel titles join the Foxtel Movies offering.

The arrangement also includes new digital rights across all platforms including Foxtel Go.

Disney Channel and the preschool-targeted Disney Junior feature on Foxtel Go, the app that allows users to enjoy live Foxtel channels, as well as a range of catch-up television and On Demand movies. Foxtel Go is available on compatible iPhone, iPad, iPad Mini and iPod Touch.

The highest-grossing film of 2012 globally and the third-highest of all time, Marvel’s The Avengers, featuring Foxtel ambassador Chris Hemsworth, will premiere on Foxtel Movies Premiere Channel in March, and Disney-Pixar’s box-office hit Brave, winner of this year’s Golden Globe for best animated feature, will debut in April.

Richard Freudenstein, Foxtel Chief Executive said: “With this new agreement, Foxtel will become the home of Disney in Australia. The addition of Disney Channel to our Essentials pack offering is huge value-add for our customers, and we are thrilled to welcome a great line-up of premiere Disney films to our new and invigorated Foxtel Movies service.”

John Cracknell, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, The Walt Disney Company Australia and New Zealand said: “Disney is renowned for the strength of our brands and businesses. We are excited that our expanded relationship with Foxtel allows our high-quality family entertainment to reach even more Australians at home or on the go.”

Foxtel’s programming is further boosted by an exclusive output arrangement with ABC Family Channel, part of the Disney/ABC Television Group, which produces a range of hit series for FOX8 including family dramas Switched At Birth, Secret Life of the American Teenager, Bunheads, and upcoming new series The Fosters and Twisted, which will premiere later this year.

The Foxtel Movies & Premium Drama service consists of a Foxtel Movies Premiere channel for the latest release movies, six genre based
Foxtel Movies channels (Action/Adventure, Comedy, Drama/Romance, Family, Thriller/Crime and Masterpiece), showcase: the home of HBO (all available in HD) and World Movies as well as four +2 channels (for Premiere, showcase, Action/Adventure and Family).