Disney+ Plans International Rollout of Adult-Friendly 'Star' Channel to Subscribers Starting Next Week

[MacRumors]

Disney+ is set to expand its streaming service offering next week with a rollout of its more adult-aimed Star brand to existing subscribers in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.

According to CNET, the Star brand will include content from Disney Television Studios, FX, 20th Century Studios, and 20th Television that's more adult-friendly, as opposed to the all-ages content that's currently available on Disney+.

Disney is also reportedly adding parental controls to the Star content to prevent children from gaining unapproved access.

As well as a long list of familiar movies and shows, Star will feature some original content that's currently only available on Hulu and ABC in the U.S., including "Victor," teen drama "Love," detective show "Big Sky," animated series "Solar Opposites", and Marvel show "Helstrom."

Movies including "Can You Ever Forgive Me," Danny Boyle's "The Beach," "Gone in 60 Seconds," and "Taken" will appear on the Star service in March, and every season of The Golden Girls is coming to Disney+ this summer. Disney is also set to bring more Marvel movies to subscribers in Europe within a year.

February 23 is the date that the app will be added to Disney+ for existing subscribers in the above regions. The European countries set to get the Star content include the U.K., Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria, Switzerland, Portugal, Belgium, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Iceland.

The Star brand and additional content arrive at a cost, though, as Disney+ is getting a price bump in these regions. In the U.K., the monthly subscription rate is set to increase from £5.99 to £7.99, or £59.99 to £79.90 per year, with an equivalent increase in the EU in euros. Current subscribers however will enjoy a pay freeze until August 23.

The increased cost is in line with a $1 price hike for subscribers in the United States that will come into effect on March 26.

Article Link: Disney+ Plans International Rollout of Adult-Friendly 'Star' Channel to Subscribers Starting Next Week

 

[4jasontv]

We pre-paid for a year just before WandaVision started. I can't believe we have gotten so much use out of it. Our Netflix usage has dropped significantly.

Edit: Just realized the US will still have the content locked behind the ad-smeared mess that is Hulu. Sigh. I question if Hulu is still worth a $1.99 a month. At least international users will get a better experience.

 

[Realityck]

We want this too for the USA Disney plus subscribers!

Disney Television Studios, FX, 20th Century Studios, and 20th Television that's more adult-friendly

 

[havenyoung]

We want this too for the USA Disney plus subscribers!

Yeah I would like Hulu to go way and be integrated into Disney+. But that's not likely to happen any time soon.

 

[katbel]

Well done!It doesn't say if the Canadian subscription will go up too.
Has Star the same content of Starz? In that case bummer, it's already included in our TV plan
If not, cross fingers for something good to watch
Hope you 'll get it too

 

[Garry]

In the U.K., the monthly subscription rate is set to increase from £5.99 to £7.99, or £59.99 to £79.90 per year, with an equivalent increase in the EU in euros. Current subscribers however will enjoy a pay freeze until August 23.

The increased cost is in line with a $1 price hike for subscribers in the United States that will come into effect on March 26.

Is it in-line? £79.90 at current exchange rates would be $110 per year. That's $30 more in the UK than in the US. Even after adding 20% UK VAT the cost shouldn't be any more than £69 a year to bring it 'in-line' with the US price.

 

[Ursadorable]

I wonder if #CancelDisneyPlus is still the #1 hashtag on twitter. It was a few days ago.

 

[iamgalt]

Wow. I'm so used to hearing about new services being released only in the US, and reading all the comments in forums like this from people outside the US, about how these services need to make their way across the ocean. Is this actually a rare occurrence of the opposite. WTH is going on? 😁

 

[Martinpa]

As well as a long list of familiar movies and shows, Star will feature some original content that's currently only available on Hulu and ABC in the U.S., including "Victor," teen drama "Love," detective show "Big Sky," animated series "Solar Opposites", and Marvel show "Helstrom."

Shouldn’t that be “Love, Victor” the television spin-off of the movie “Love, Simon”? A show that is on Hulu, and not on Disney+, because of the un-family-friendliness of *gasp* gay characters.

 

[unobtainium]

I think everyone hates Hulu. Disney should get rid of it and just bring Star to the US.

 

[2010mini]

We want this too for the USA Disney plus subscribers!

Too already do. All that stuff is on Hulu.

 

[Apple_Robert]

I am rather surprised to see Disney and adult in the same sentence. I feel so cold and alone being from the U.S. this go-around.

 

[appleoc]

LOL You guys don't write about TV if you don't know anything about it...."Love, Victor" is 1 show, it's not 2 shows. This show was originally developed for Disney+ in the USA but Disney thought it was not family friendly and moved to the other Disney streamer Hulu. Nice to see it's way back to Disney+ via Star for international markets. Now, if they can only bring back the Lizzie McGuire reboot which Disney thought was also not family friendly for Disney+.

 

[Realityck]

Yeah I would like Hulu to go way and be integrated into Disney+. But that's not likely to happen any time soon.

Hulu is only available in USA/Japan. I wonder if the EU Star isn't a trial before it change here in a year. They don't need to scuttle Hulu completely as there is all those other network rebroadcasting arrangements.

 

[Realityck]

Well done!It doesn't say if the Canadian subscription will go up too.
Has Star the same content of Starz? In that case bummer, it's already included in our TV plan
If not, cross fingers for something good to watch
Hope you 'll get it too

Starz (Lionsgate) is not related to Disney plus Star.

 

[Realityck]

I am rather surprised to see Disney and adult in the same sentence. I feel so cold and alone being from the U.S. this go-around.

This was the rumored adult section that Digitalbits Bill Hunt was discussing a few months back until we discovered it was just for the UK/EU Digital Plus subscribers. Disney hasn't been just making family friendly content, Touchstone offered some more adult content, and this purchase of 21st Century Fox just added a lot more. I even seen some content X-Men Days of Future Past where the language was left in.

 

[Apple_Robert]

This was the rumored adult section that Digitalbits Bill Hunt was discussing a few months back until we discovered it was just for the UK/EU Digital Plus subscribers. Disney hasn't been just making family friendly content, Touchstone offered some more adult content, and this purchase of 21st Century Fox just added a lot more. I even seen some content X-Men Days of Future Past where the language was left in.

Thanks for the link. Very surprising. I grew up with Disney and never thought I would see the day they offered adult content. The old school days of Disney are starting to fade away. I sound like a cliche. lol

 

[katbel]

Starz (Lionsgate) is not related to Disney plus Star.

Do they let something like that go so easy?!
Apple would sue just for leaf up or down 🤣

 

[mtneer]

Is this what I think it is?? I had no idea Disney even made adult content.

 

[Realityck]

Do they let something like that go so easy?!
Apple would sue just a for leaf up or down 🤣

No leafs to worry about.

 

[EM2013]

All these streaming services take turns raising prices.

 

[OwlBundy]

We want this too for the USA Disney plus subscribers!

We have Hulu that's where this content is for the USA. Hulu is not an international platform so they don't have access to the Disney owned content there.

 

[centauratlas]

Is this what I think it is?? I had no idea Disney even made adult content.

It depends if you mean “adult” vs grownup. XXX vs R or PG. 😂

 

[TomaxXamot]

Well done!It doesn't say if the Canadian subscription will go up too.
Has Star the same content of Starz? In that case bummer, it's already included in our TV plan
If not, cross fingers for something good to watch
Hope you 'll get it too

In Canada the price for Disney+ will go up from $8.99 to $11.99. If you’re a current subscriber the price increase won’t happen until August 22, 2021. There is no option to not have Star and only have Disney+. It’s Disney+ Star as a package.

It looks like a good deal- there’s plenty of great, classic shows included, as well as the Alien movies and FX content, which has always been a mess amd hard to access in Canada due to licensing. Currently the list only includes much older FX content, not Mr Robot, Always Sunny or Legion etc, but I think as the existing licensing agreements for those shows end they’ll be added to Star. I’m extremely excited for Noah Hawley’s upcoming Alien universe TV series!!

 

[neuropsychguy]

We pre-paid for a year just before WandaVision started. I can't believe we have gotten so much use out of it. Our Netflix usage has dropped significantly.

Edit: Just realized the US will still have the content locked behind the ad-smeared mess that is Hulu. Sigh. I question if Hulu is still worth a $1.99 a month. At least international users will get a better experience.

Watch Hulu on a computer running uBlock Origin if possible. That fixes the ad mess. It doesn't help on other devices but I'll output from a computer to my TV via HDMI to get rid of ads.