The channel launched as part of a new licensing agreement between Corus Entertainment and the Disney–ABC Television Group (now known as Walt Disney Television), which succeeded a previous program supply agreement between Disney and Family Channel (owned by WildBrain).

[1] On April 16, 2015, Corus Entertainment announced that it had reached a "landmark" agreement with the Disney–ABC Television Group to acquire long-term, Canadian multi-platform rights to Disney Channel's programming library; the cost and duration of the licensing deal were not disclosed.

[4][5] At launch, Corus stated that Disney Channel was available in 10 million households, with carriage across most major Canadian cable providers including Rogers, EastLink, and Access Communications, IPTV providers Bell MTS, Bell Fibe TV, Telus Optik TV, SaskTel, VMedia, and Execulink Telecom, and national satellite providers Bell Satellite TV and Shaw Direct.

[1][5][10] Disney Channel originally operated as an "exempted" Category B service:[11] under new policies implemented in 2012, channels that would otherwise meet the definition of a Category B service are exempted from licensing by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), provided that they submit a formal application for licensing after they reach 200,000 subscribers.

In order to fulfill Canadian content requirements, Disney Channel also airs programming from other Corus-owned networks.