Star+
Type of site | OTT video streaming platform |
---|---|
Area served | Latin America[1] (see full list of countries) |
Parent | Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution |
URL | www |
Registration | Required |
Launched | August 31, 2021 |
Current status | Active |
Star+ (stylized as ST★R+) is a Latin American over-the-top subscription video streaming service available in Latin America, owned by Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution, a unit of The Walt Disney Company.[2]
The service features television and film content from the libraries of Disney subsidiaries, including Star+ Originals, Star Originals, 20th Television, 20th Television Animation, 20th Century Studios, 20th Television Animation, ABC Signature, Freeform, FX Networks, Hollywood Pictures, Hotstar, Hulu, National Geographic, Searchlight Pictures, Touchstone Pictures and many more, as well as live sports from ESPN.[3]
History
Pre-launch
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 1991, and had been acquired by News Corporation in 1993.[4] 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 Indian vernacular TV programming worldwide and the remaining Asia Pacific rebranded from Star to then Fox International Channels' regional unit.[5] Star India (as well as all of the now Fox Networks Group's Asia Pacific operations[a]) 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a new international, general entertainment service under the "Star" brand name in 2021.[citation needed] The plan superseded a previously announced international expansion of the majority-controlled American streaming service, Hulu, which has only expanded outside the United States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.[6] Chapek argued that the Hulu brand is not well known outside of the US, while Star being a much more recognizable brand outside of the United States. [7]
Dispute with Lionsgate
In April 2021, Disney faced a trademark dispute in Brazil, Argentina and Mexico with Lionsgate's Starz Entertainment over the use of the Star brand in Latin America.[8] The Wrap reported that Disney had five days to respond to the Brazil lawsuit.[9] As a result, on May 13, 2021, it would be announced that the launch of Star+ in Latin America would be delayed to August 31.[10][11]
While Disney eventually won the dispute, in July, they would lose an appeal in court in Brazil to the name dispute with Lionsgate.[12] In August 2021, Disney and Starz reached a settlement over the brand name issue allowing Star+ to launch in Latin America on August 31 as scheduled. The lawsuit was dropped after the deal was reached.[13][14]
In June 2022, Disney and Lionsgate announced a streaming bundle offer in select Latin American countries, consisting of Disney+, Star+, and Lionsgate's Starzplay service.[15] It is not clear whether this offer is directly related to the settlement of the earlier dispute.
Content
Star+ serves the same purpose as the Star content hub that was integrated into the Disney+ service in several other countries on February 23, 2021.[16][17][18] The services hosts a variety of content from Disney's studios, primarily general entertainment content not carried on Disney+, as well as live sports from ESPN.
Original programming
In addition to acquired content, Star+ will produce original, local content in Latin America to be exclusively released on the platform.[19]
Sports rights
American football
Association football
United States
Africa
Brazil
- Copa Nordeste (only Brazil)
- Campeonato Brasileiro Série A[20] (except Brazil)
- Campeonato Brasileiro Série B (except Brazil)
Europe
- UEFA Champions League (except Mexico and Brazil)
- UEFA Europa League
- UEFA Europa Conference League
- UEFA Super Cup (except Mexico and Brazil)
- UEFA Nations League (except Mexico)
- UEFA European Qualifiers (except Mexico)
Spain
- La Liga (only South America and Brazil)
- Segunda División (only South America and Brazil)
- Copa del Rey (only Brazil)
- Copa de la Reina (only Brazil)
- Supercopa de España (only Brazil)
- Supercopa de España Femenina (only Brazil)
England
- Premier League (South America and Brazil)
- EFL Championship
- EFL League One (only South America and Brazil)
- EFL League Two (only South America and Brazil)
- FA Cup
- FA Women's Cup
- EFL Cup
- FA Women's Super League
- FA Community Shield
- FA Women's Community Shield
Germany
- Bundesliga (only South America)
- 2. Bundesliga (only South America)
- DFB-Pokal
- DFL-Supercup (only South America)
Netherlands
France
Italy
Portugal
Argentina
- Argentine Primera División (except Argentina)
- Supercopa Argentina (except Argentina)
Uruguay
South America
- Copa Libertadores (only South America and Brazil)
- Copa Sudamericana (only South America)
North America
- CONCACAF Champions League (except Mexico)
- CONCACAF League (except Mexico)
- FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)
Asia
Australian rules football
Motorsports
- Formula One (except Mexico and Brazil)
- FIA Formula 2 Championship (except Mexico and Brazil)
- FIA Formula 3 Championship (except Mexico and Brazil)
- Porsche Supercup (except Mexico and Brazil)
- Extreme E
- Dakar Rally
- Indycar Series
- Indy Lights
- MotoGP
- Superbike World Championship (except Brazil)
- Supersport World Championship (except Brazil)
- Supersport 300 World Championship (except Brazil)
- FIA World Endurance Championship (except Mexico)
- World Rally Championship
- W Series (except Brazil)
Baseball
United States
Mexico
Basketball
United States
- National Basketball Association
- WNBA
- NCAA basketball
- NBA Summer League
- NBA G League
- The Basketball Tournament
Africa
Europe
- Liga ACB
- Copa del Rey de Baloncesto
- Euroleague (Only Central America and Mexico)
Boxing
- ESPN Knockout (includes Top Rank, Premier Boxing Champions and Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship)
Combat sport
- Ultimate Fighting Championship (except Brazil and Mexico)
- Pay-per-view
- Fight Nights
- Dana White's Contender Series
- Bellator MMA (only Brazil)
- Lux Fight League
Cycling
- Tour de France
- Vuelta a España
- UCI Road World Championships (only South America)
- Tour Down Under
- Vuelta a San Juan
- Tour Colombia
- Paris–Nice
- Critérium du Dauphiné
- Tour de Romandie (only for South America)
- Tour of Utah (only for South America)
- Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race (only for South America)
- Paris–Roubaix
- Liège–Bastogne–Liège
- Amstel Gold Race
- La Flèche Wallonne
- Clásica de San Sebastián
- Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec (only for South America)
- Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal (only for South America)
Golf
Hockey
Polo
- Campeonato Argentino Abierto de Polo
- Campeonato Abierto de Hurlingham
- Campeonato Abierto del Tortugas Country Club
- U.S. Open Polo
Rugby
Table Tennis
Tennis
- Australian Open
- French Open
- The Championships, Wimbledon (except Brazil)
- U.S. Open
- ATP Finals
- ATP Tour Masters 1000
- ATP Cup
- ATP Tour 500
- ATP Tour 250
- WTA Finals
- WTA 1000
- WTA 500
- WTA 250
- Next Generation ATP Finals
- Laver Cup
Volleyball
Device support and service features
Star+ is available for streaming via web browsers on PC and Mac, as well as apps on iOS and Apple TV, Android and Android TV, Fire TV and Fire HD, Chromecast, WebOS and Tizen OS devices among another digital media player and gaming consoles, such as PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S, as well as PC running Windows 10 and Windows 11.[21][22]
Launch
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. Updates on reimplementing the Graph extension, which will be known as the Chart extension, can be found on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
Launch date | Region | Country / Territory |
---|---|---|
August 31, 2021[1] | North America | Costa Rica |
Dominican Republic | ||
El Salvador | ||
Guatemala | ||
Honduras | ||
Mexico | ||
Nicaragua | ||
Panama | ||
South America | Argentina | |
Bolivia | ||
Brazil | ||
Chile | ||
Colombia | ||
Ecuador | ||
Paraguay | ||
Peru | ||
Uruguay | ||
Venezuela |
Notes
- ^ 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.
References
- ^ a b "¿En qué países está disponible Star+?". Star Plus. August 31, 2021. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
- ^ "Cómo será el nuevo servicio de streaming de Disney que llega a Latinoamérica". T13 (in Spanish).
- ^ "ACERCA DE STAR +".
- ^ 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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Palmer, Roger (April 29, 2021). "StarzPlay Disputes Disney Using Star Brand In Latin America". What's On Disney Plus. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
- ^ Baysinger, Time (June 9, 2021). "Starz Slaps Disney With Trademark Suits in 3 Latin American Countries Over Star+ Streaming Service". The Wrap.
- ^ Palmer, Roger (May 13, 2021). "STAR+ WILL ARRIVE IN LATIN AMERICA ON AUGUST 31ST". What's On Disney Plus.
- ^ Aliaga, Victor (June 26, 2021). "Star+: Conheça o novo serviço de streaming que chega ao Brasil" [Star+: Discover the new streaming service coming to Brazil]. IGN Brasil (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on August 1, 2021. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
- ^ "Starz consegue impedir Disney de usar marca Star Plus no Brasil; entenda o caso". TudoCelular (in Portuguese). July 25, 2021. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
- ^ "Disney faz acordo milionário para usar o nome Star+ em seu novo streaming". Notícias da TV (in Portuguese). August 9, 2021. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
- ^ "Disney and Starz Reach Settlement Over Star Plus Brand Name Use in Latin America". Variety. July 25, 2021. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
- ^ Vlessing, Etan (June 23, 2022). "Disney Teams With Starz For Streaming Bundle in Latin America". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
- ^ "Disney will fuel international growth with Star brand and Star+ app". TechCrunch. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- ^ "R-Rated Features, MA TV Coming to Disney+ Overseas via Star Catalog". CBR. December 10, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- ^ Newsdesk, Laughing Place Disney (December 11, 2020). "Disney Investor Day 2020 Recap: Hulu, FX, ESPN+, Star, Star+". LaughingPlace.com. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- ^ "Star+ Lands in Latin America with 66 Original Productions". Todotvnews. June 26, 2021. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
- ^ "Brasileirão terá transmissão pela ESPN e Star+ na América Latina | VCFAZ".
- ^ "Como baixar o Star+ no PS4 e PS5". Yahoo! Finance (in Portuguese). Yahoo!. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
- ^ "Star+: streaming da Disney anuncia preços e planos no Brasil". Tech Mundo (in Portuguese). Retrieved October 31, 2021.