Disney established a television syndication unit in 1985, with Robert Jacquemin as senior vice president of domestic television distribution. None of its animated feature films were planned to enter syndication at the time. The division was incorporated as Buena Vista Television, Inc. on November 5, 1985, with its first release in the first-run syndication market called Siskel & Ebert. The company produced the business-oriented morning show, Today's Business, in August 1986, only to put an end to the show in April 1987, indicating that they were unable to get enough advertisers. In 1990, the company offered its first game show, Challengers, into first-run syndication. In late 1986, Buena Vista was shopping DuckTales for a 1987 debut, with a 4–6 p.m. placement and a 2.5/3.5 syndicator/station ad split. In late 1990 and early 1991, after launching the Disney Afternoon syndicated block, Buena Vista had considered starting a new one-hour morning block to start in 1992. On August 24, 1994, a reorganization of Disney took place in which Richard H. Frank became head of a newly formed Walt Disney Television and Telecommunications, which was split from The Walt Disney Studios and included Buena Vista TV. In April 1996, due to the ongoing post Disney–Capital Cities/ABC merger realignment and the retirement of its president, Walt Disney Television and Telecommunications' divisions were reassigned to other groups. Therefore, Buena Vista TV, as a part of Walt Disney Television International, was transferred to Capital Cities/ABC. In March 2007, Starz Entertainment sued Buena Vista TV for breaching their agreement by allowing films to be available online through Apple's iTunes Store and other outlets. The introduction of the Apple TV device forced Starz to file suit, which hinged on the "contractual definition of 'television'" and whether complete TV exclusivity was granted, as Starz then had a secondary distribution deal with Netflix.
Disney–ABC Domestic Television
In May 2007, The Walt Disney Company announced plans to semi-retire the use of the Buena Vista brand in favor of focusing on the three core brands of Disney, ABC, and ESPN instead. As a result, Buena Vista Television was rebranded as Disney–ABC Domestic Television. Buena Vista TV converted to a limited liability business form on April 10, 2009. By July 2008, Disney–ABC Domestic TV signed additional carriage agreements with Vudu and CinemaNow, which was then added to the Starz lawsuit. On December 2, 2008, Disney–ABC Domestic TV and Starz Entertainment settled their online distribution lawsuit with the terms undisclosed. Distribution units were transfer to Walt Disney Direct-to-Consumer and International as part of The Walt Disney Company’s March 14, 2018 strategic reorganization in anticipation of integrating 21st Century Fox's assets. In February 2020, Disney licensed 21 TV series, from Ally McBeal to Witches of East End including Lost and Desperate Housewives, to Amazon-owned IMDb TV ad supported streaming service.
