Star (Disney+)
 Logo used since 2021 | |
| Country of origin | Canada |
|---|---|
| Area served | Every country where Disney+ operates except United States and India (see full list of countries) |
| Parent | Disney Streaming (Disney Entertainment) |
| Registration | Required |
| Launched | February 23, 2021 |
| Current status | Active |
Star (stylized as ST★R) is a content hub within the Disney+[a] streaming service that launched on February 23, 2021. The hub is available in a subset of countries where Disney+ is operated, except the United States.[1]
Star features a large library of television and film content from the libraries of Disney subsidiaries, including FX Networks, Hulu, Freeform, ABC Signature, MTM Enterprises, Touchstone Television, 20th Television, 20th Television Animation, 20th Century Studios, 20th Century Animation, Searchlight Pictures, Touchstone Pictures and Hollywood Pictures.[1][2][3][4] It also features licensed non-Disney branded content through Disney Platform Distribution.
History
[edit]Background
[edit]The "Star" brand originated as a Hong Kong-based satellite broadcaster, which operated under that name as an acronym of "Satellite Television Asian Region", it was founded by Hutchison Whampoa in 1990, and had been acquired by News Corporation in 1993.[5] After 2009, the Star brand was mainly restricted to the now-separately owned Star China Media, as well as Star India, which operates primarily in India, but also distributes programming internationally via services targeting viewers of Indian descent. The remainder of the Star Asia Pacific business was later brought under the Fox International Channels division.[6]
Star India (as well as all of the now Fox Networks Group's Asia Pacific operations[b]) was then acquired by Walt Disney as part of its acquisition of 21st Century Fox on March 20, 2019.
During an earnings call on August 5, 2020, Disney CEO Bob Chapek announced that Disney planned to launch a new international, general entertainment service under the "Star" brand name in 2021. The plan superseded a previously announced international expansion of the majority-controlled American streaming service, Hulu, which has only expanded outside the United States to Japan.[c] Chapek argued that, outside of the United States, the Hulu brand is not well known while Star is much more recognizable.[9]
Launch
[edit]Disney officially announced Star and Star+ on December 10, 2020, at its Investor Day Event.[10] During the event, it was announced that Star would launch as a sixth brand tile within the Disney+ interface. Additional parental controls would be launched alongside Star's introduction. Although Star would be available at no extra cost to Disney+ subscribers, the introduction of Star would coincide with a price increase.[11] Star was launched in Canada, United Kingdom, Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore on February 23, 2021, while the service was launched in Hong Kong and Taiwan later in 2021.[12] Disney promoted the launch by naming several stars in the International Star Registry.[13]
Star+ was launched in Latin America on August 31, 2021. Star was to also launch in Central and Eastern Europe, Israel, South Africa and the MENA Region in 2022. Star was launched in Japan and South Korea on October 27, 2021, and November 12, 2021, respectively.[14] It was indeed launched in May 2022 in South Africa and in June 2022 in various MENA and European countries.[15]
Subsequently, the European feeds of Star Plus, Star Bharat and Star Gold were rebranded as Utsav Plus, Utsav Bharat and Utsav Gold, respectively, on January 22, 2021, to avoid confusion with the streaming hub.[16] Disney plans to produce more Korean, Japanese and other Asian content under Star and Disney+ in the next few years.[17]
In May 2023, Disney rolled out the Star hub for Disney+ Hotstar subscribers in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.[18]
In March 2024, it was announced that the Star hub would be added on Disney+ in Latin America on June 26, 2024,[19] while its separate platform, Star+, would be discontinued on July 24 of same year.[20]
Content
[edit]General content
[edit]Star includes a range of content produced or otherwise owned by Disney and its subsidiaries, including television programs produced by ABC Signature, MTM Enterprises, Touchstone Television, 20th Television, 20th Television Animation, FXP, and their divisions and predecessors, as well as films from the 20th Century Studios, 20th Century Animation, Searchlight Pictures, Touchstone Pictures and Hollywood Pictures libraries and some films from the Miramax Films library. Much of the TV content was originally produced for Disney-owned networks and services such as ABC, FX and Freeform. Other programs were originally commissioned by third-party networks but have been made available on Star because Disney has retained the international distribution rights.[3]
In Europe, Disney+ and Star offer local content from third-party distributors in addition to local in-house and co-productions. The reason for this is a regulation that requires a certain percentage of European productions. In order to comply with this requirement, Disney has entered into a partnership with various local distributors from France and Germany, among others.[21][22][23][24] In Japan, besides Disney-owned contents, Star also provides anime series produced in the country.[25]
Multi-year deal with Sony Pictures
[edit]In April 2021, Disney and Sony Pictures reached a multi-year deal to let Sony's titles stream on Hulu and Disney+ or premiered on Disney linear television, it also merged separated existing deal between Funimation (now Crunchyroll) and Hulu. While title begins to add on Hulu and Disney+ until September 2022,[26] Marvel related titles starting with Spider-Man films added to Disney+'s Marvel hub in June 2022.[27] This also included the animated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.[28] All three Sam Raimi-directed Spider-Man films and The Amazing Spider-Man would eventually be made available on the American version of the platform on April 21, 2023, with Spider-Man: Homecoming and Venom, a film in Sony's Spider-Man Universe, being made available the following month.[29] Other mature and non-Marvel related Sony Pictures titles that premiered on Disney's linear networks available on the Star hub (specifically from Sony Pictures Television) include ABC's The Good Doctor, For Life and Schooled, FX's Justified, Damages and Rescue Me and Hulu's Future Man (which is no longer available following the May 26, 2023 purge of Disney+ titles).[30] Initially, non-Marvel related titles and Crunchyroll-licensed titles were only available on Hulu in United States, multiple titles were started to available on Disney+ in March 2024 through Hulu on Disney+ hub.
Exclusive content
[edit]Many productions for which the local first release is carried out by Star are advertised and offered as Star Originals or Star Exclusives. Most of these productions come from the streaming services (such as Hulu) and TV channels (such as ABC, Freeform, FX, ESPN, or National Geographic) of the Walt Disney Company. Selected productions from its sister services Star+ and Disney+ Hotstar may come to Star,[31][32][33] Disney+ original series and movies that are not labeled under Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars or National Geographic are also released to Star outside of the United States and Latin America but retain their Disney+ Originals status. Disney also has local partnerships with licensors and distributes selected productions worldwide. One Such partnership, for example is with the Japanese TV broadcaster TBS.[34]
Availability
[edit]As described above, Star is available as part of the Disney+ service in many countries around the world. In India, where Disney+ is distributed as part of Disney+ Hotstar, many of the same programs are available as part of Hotstar's general-interest content, often categorized under hubs such as Star World.[35] The only market where Disney+ is available without the Star hub is the United States, where much of this programs are instead distributed through Hulu, and its namesake content hub on Disney+.
On May 3, 2023, Disney made changes to Disney+ Hotstar in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, where the interface now provides the Star hub, as part of an ongoing "Hotstar X" refresh in various markets.[18]
Explanatory notes
[edit]- ^ including Disney+ Hotstar (applies to only Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand)
- ^ Although, the Asia Pacific operations do operate "Star"-branded TV services to date, to varying degrees. Not to be confused with the Japanese premium TV network of the same name, which albeit then a co-owned venture with three Japanese partners, is now a wholly separate business as the former 21st Century Fox sold its stake before the Disney acquisition completed.
- ^ the Japanese branch would be acquired by Nippon TV in 2014.[7][8]
- ^ a b The content hub is not visible due to the pre-existing Star Channel (Greece) and Star TV (Turkey). Yet, some of its original programming are available on the platform.
- ^ Soft launch on Disney+ Hotstar streaming service
- ^ a b c Per country-specific (menu-selectable) information on Disney+ Help Center.
References
[edit]- ^ a b Alexander, Julia (December 10, 2020). "Disney unveils Star, its Hulu replacement for international Disney Plus subscribers". The Verge. Archived from the original on December 10, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- ^ "Disney will fuel international growth with Star brand and Star+ app". TechCrunch. December 10, 2020. Archived from the original on February 5, 2021. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- ^ a b "R-Rated Features, MA TV Coming to Disney+ Overseas via Star Catalog". CBR. December 10, 2020. Archived from the original on February 5, 2021. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- ^ Roberts, Samuel (December 11, 2020). "Disney Plus UK will get heaps more TV shows and movies via Star in 2021". TechRadar. Archived from the original on December 13, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- ^ Tam, Luisa (July 27, 1993). "News buys Star TV". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on April 12, 2019. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
- ^ Chu, Karen (August 18, 2009). "News Corp. confirms STAR TV breakup". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 11, 2019. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
- ^ Spangler, Todd (February 27, 2014). "Hulu Japan to Be Acquired by Nippon TV". Variety. Archived from the original on September 21, 2022. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
- ^ "Disney + to raise its subscription fees, announces 'Star' international streaming service". GSMArena.com. Archived from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- ^ Alexander, Julia (August 4, 2020). "Disney is launching a new Star-branded streaming service internationally". The Verge. Archived from the original on August 5, 2020. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
- ^ "Disney Investor Day 2020". The Walt Disney Company. December 3, 2020. Archived from the original on December 10, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
- ^ Alexander, Julia (December 11, 2020). "Disney finally revealed the real Disney Plus". The Verge. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- ^ Smith, Chris (December 11, 2020). "Disney+ is getting its first price hike, but it's going to be totally worth it". Boy Genius Report. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
- ^ Ravindran, Manori (February 17, 2021). "Disney Lifts Lid on Star: Exclusivity and Parental Control Keys to New Tile". Variety. Archived from the original on February 17, 2021. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
- ^ a b Frater, Patrick (September 7, 2021). "Disney Plus Sets Dates for Korea Launch, Japan Upgrade". Variety. Archived from the original on September 8, 2021. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e Spangler, Todd (March 29, 2022). "Disney Plus Sets Launch Dates, Pricing for 42 Countries in Europe, West Asia and Africa". Variety. Archived from the original on March 29, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
- ^ Kriek, Jarco (December 30, 2020). "Ziggo voert zenderaanpassingen door" [Ziggo implements channel adjustments]. Totaal TV (in Dutch). Veronica Uitgeverij BV. Archived from the original on December 30, 2020. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
- ^ Frater, Patrick (October 15, 2021). "Disney Unveils Over 20 Series and Films in Asian Local-Language Streaming Push". Variety. Archived from the original on September 21, 2022. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
- ^ a b "Star Brand Added to Disney+ Hotstar In Malaysia, Indonesia & Thailand". What's on Disney Plus. May 5, 2023. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
- ^ a b "Disney+ anuncia unificação com Star+ e cria plano com anúncios no streaming" [Disney+ announces unification with Star+ and creates a plan with ads on the streaming]. Notícias da TV (in Portuguese). March 28, 2023. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
- ^ "Fim do Star+ e fusão com Disney+ acontecerá em duas etapas. Entenda" [End of Star+ and merger with Disney+ begins in two steps. Know more]. Além da Tela (in Portuguese). April 19, 2024. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
- ^ Florian Mihu (February 16, 2021). "Fais pas Ci, Fais pas Ça et Je Te Promets arrivent sur Disney+" (in French). Disneyphile. Archived from the original on February 16, 2021. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
- ^ CTC (February 16, 2021). "Disney+ : 10 séries européennes dont 4 françaises annoncées" (in French). AlloCiné. Archived from the original on February 16, 2021. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
- ^ Keslassy, Elsa (November 26, 2020). "France Leading Charge With E.U. Directive to Get Streamers to Invest in Local Content". Variety. Archived from the original on January 11, 2021. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
- ^ Niemeier, Timo (September 21, 2020). "Disney+ lizenziert Filmpaket von Constantin Film". DWDL (in German). Archived from the original on January 29, 2022. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
- ^ "ディズニープラス初、国内制作アニメを4月より見放題独占配信開始 世界配信に先駆け日本での配信日を発表". Walt Disney Japan (in Japanese). March 22, 2020. Archived from the original on December 1, 2022. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
- ^ Hayes, Dade (April 21, 2021). "Disney & Sony Reach Windows Deal That Can Sling 'Spider-Man' And Other Franchises To Disney+ For First Time". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 21, 2021. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
- ^ "What's Coming To Disney+ In June 2022 (UK/Ireland)". Archived from the original on March 16, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
- ^ "Spider-Man Into The Spider-Verse Added To Disney+ In Some Countries". comicbook.com. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
- ^ Peters, Jay (April 20, 2023). "Disney Plus is getting five Spider-Man movies". The Verge. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
- ^ "Watch the Good Doctor | Full episodes | Disney+".
- ^ Palmer, Roger (July 27, 2021). "HOTSTAR SPECIALS COULD BE COMING SOON TO HULU & STAR ON DISNEY+". What's On Disney Plus. Archived from the original on January 20, 2022. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
- ^ ""LIMBO… HASTA QUE LO DECIDA", LA NUEVA SERIE EXCLUSIVA DE STAR+, FUE SELECCIONADA EN CANNESERIES". Disney PressPack (in Spanish). September 22, 2021. Archived from the original on August 10, 2022. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
- ^ Ramachandran, Naman (July 27, 2021). "Disney Plus Hotstar Reveals Ambitious India Growth Plans (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on July 28, 2021. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
- ^ Palmer, Roger (September 29, 2021). "Japanese Star Original "Tokyo MER" Coming Soon To Disney+". Archived from the original on September 30, 2021. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
- ^ "Star World". Disney+ Hotstar. Archived from the original on December 2, 2022. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
- ^ White, Peter (December 10, 2020). "Disney To Launch General Entertainment Streaming Service Star Globally In February". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 28, 2021. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
- ^ Keane, Sean (January 28, 2021). "Disney Plus reveals full lineup of Star movies and shows". CNET. Archived from the original on January 28, 2021. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
- ^ a b "The Walt Disney Company Celebrates Disney+ Day on November 12 to Thank Subscribers with New Content, Fan Experiences, and More (Press Release)". The Walt Disney Company. September 21, 2021. Archived from the original on September 21, 2021. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
- ^ Afinidad-Bernardo, Deni Rose M. (October 20, 2022). "Disney+ in the Philippines: Shows, subscription fees, everything you need to know". Philippine Star. Archived from the original on October 30, 2022. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
- ^ a b c Napoli, Walter (June 5, 2024). "Disney+ reveals premiere dates and new content the platform will offer in Latin America beginning June 26". ESPN Press Room Caribbean. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
