Claim: Sonny with a Chance is an American television show.

Disney Channel -LRB- originally called The Disney Channel from 1983 to 1997 and commonly shortened to Disney from 1997 to 2002 -RRB- is an American basic cable and satellite television network that serves as the flagship property of owner Disney Channels Television Group , itself a unit of the Disney Media Networks division of The Walt Disney Company .   Disney Channel 's programming consists of original first-run television series , theatrically-released and original made-for-cable movies and select other third-party programming . Disney Channel -- which formerly operated as a premium service -- originally marketed its programs towards families during the 1980s , and later at younger children by the 2000s . Most of Disney Channel 's original programming is aimed at kids ages 9 -- 16 , while its Disney Junior programs are targeted at children 8 years and under .   As of January 2016 , Disney Channel is available to approximately 93.9 million pay television households -LRB- 80.6 % of households with at least one television set -RRB- in the United States .