was a Japanese free-to-view satellite channel owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company Japan, through its subsidiary Broadcast Satellite Disney. The channel was carried on BS (broadcasting satellite) channel 258, which was also used for cable companies that retransmitted the signal.
International dramas and movies, lifestyle programming and a selection of Disney productions made up the bulk of the schedule. The channel closed on 31 March 2020 when Disney withdrew from the free BS market. The brand would end up being recycled in 2024 as a rename of the Japanese feed of Fox.
History Walt Disney Japan submitted a bid to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications in June 2010, when the regulator asked for tenders for new free-to-air satellite channels using the BS system. For this end, it created Broadcast Satellite Disney.
With the license, work on Dlife began in earnest in January 2012; a pre-launch campaign began the following month; to this end they appointed Chemistry to compose an image song for the channel, Dreamy Life. The channel launched on 17 March 2012.BS新チャンネル DlifeとCHEMISTRYがタッグ 書き下ろし新曲「Dreamy Life」が開局イメージソングに決定！, mFound Entertainment, 12 January 2012, retrieved 22 September 2026, archived 20 December 2013ディズニー社の新規BSデジタル放送局「Dlife」にて「ショップチャンネル」生放送 3月19日(月)よりスタート!!, PR TIMES, 15 February 2012,retrieved 22 September 2026, archived 23 February 2012 A one-week catch-up service opened on GyaO! on 24 June, providing it with episodes of ABC series.Masaharu Tanaka, 「Dlifeキャッチアップ」スタート、無料で1週間の見逃し配信サービス, Nikkei XTech, 25 June 2012, retrieved 22 September 2026, archived 26 February 2021
The channel started 2013 with a marathon called Drama All Night, which featured a preview of Harry's Law.無料BS局の「Dlife」が年末年始特別編成、「Dlife ニューイヤー ドラマ・デ・オールナイト」, 27 December 2012, retrieved 22 September 2026, archived 29 December 2012 On 14 October 2013 (Sports Day), it held a similar, six-hour event, Drama de Autumn Night, fronted by Tetsuya Bessho.Dlife 新作海外ドラマを一挙紹介する「ドラマ・デ・オータムナイト」10/14放送!「アンダー・ザ・ドーム」他, TV Groove, 10 October 2013, retrieved 22 September 2026, archived 3 December 2013 The first three days of 2014 featured 72 Hour Non-Stop TV, with previews of seven series and entire runs of seasons of some of its shows.お正月は海外ドラマ漬け！ 特別編成『Dlife 72時間 ノンストップTV』のナビゲーターにSHELLYが就任, Drama NAVI, 20 December 2013, retrieved 22 September 2026, archived 20 December 2013
The channel aired its first sports show, Crossover, on 10 February 2019.Dlife初のスポーツ情報番組がスタート！「クロスオーバー」2月10日（日）スタート 毎週日曜 10:30～11:30, PR TIMES, 5 February 2019, retrieved 22 September 2026, archived 10 February 2019 After the channel's closure, it moved to BS Fuji.アスリートの地位向上へ 深堀がレジェンドたちの成功の秘訣紹介, Sponichi Annex, 22 May 2020, retrieved 22 September 2026, archived 12 June 2020
In September 2019, Disney, which had acquired most 21st Century Fox assets, on 14 November 2019, Disney announced that Dlife and Fox Sports & Entertainment, the latter being a comparable channel Fox had before the merger. The channel closure was set for 31 March 2020 at 24:00 (UTC+09:00).【重要】Dlife放送終了のお知らせ,【全国無料のBSテレビ局】Dlife/ディーライフ公式, 14 November 2019, retrieved 22 September 2026, archived 2 December 2019Dlife、きょう放送終了...惜しむ声相次ぐ 「明日から何を見ればいいのか」 FOXスポーツも, J-Cast News, 31 March 2020, retrieved 22 September 2026, archived 4 April 2020 Its closure received criticism from Twitter users. The final program seen was an all-day marathon of Criminal Minds season 11.番組表,【全国無料のBSテレビ局】Dlife/ディーライフ公式, 22 March 2020, retrieved 22 September 2026, archived 22 March 2020
Disney recycled the brand for a rename of Fox Japan on 1 March 2024, on pay television.
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