When Disney launched its own streaming app Disney+ in November 2019, it was very selective in its content. The theme was family-focused, relying on blockbuster content from its Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic and Pixar labels. Anything considered "adult" was conspicuously absent.
Disney has plenty of great adult content, too. Especially after it acquired 20th Century Fox and its vast library of movies and TV shows. Surely, one day, Disney would drag that content off rival platforms like BINGE, Stan and Amazon Prime, and offer it through the Disney+ app?
And so it has come to pass. In mid-December 2020 Disney revealed an additional channel that will join the five tentpoles listed above; it's called Star. It will launch in Australia on 23 February 2021 and will come with a substantial price rise. The cost will leap from $8.99 a month or $89.99 a year to $13.99 a month or $139.99 a year in Australia.
That's a 25% increase. So, is the new content worth that price rise?
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Star is now live on the platform in Australia. And in good news we've found another 29 titles available to stream, 7 TV series and another 16 films. Most notably all 10 seasons of Futurama, 14 seasons of Criminal Minds and 11 seasons of M*A*S*H.
The Star channel will launch on Disney+ with a heck of a lot of content. There will be 466 movies and 161 TV shows. This includes four new Star Originals, content that has been exclusively made for Disney+ and specifically for its Star channel. Here are some of the highlight additions.
As well as Academy Award darlings like Braveheart, Black Swan, JoJo Rabbit, The Last King of Scotland, The Martian, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Moulin Rouge, Wall Street, Walk the Line, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Pretty Woman, The Devil Wears Prada and Titanic.
There are plenty of notable omissions as well, which will no doubt land on the service over time. This could be a tactical play by Disney, but is more likely the result of existing streaming rights deals still being in play. TV series like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Modern Family, Lost, The Handmaid's Tale, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Sons of Anarchy, Archer, Fargo and American Horror Story will likely arrive at a later date. There are also notable movies missing, including the Indiana Jones films.
At launch, four Star Originals will be available on Disney+ through the Star channel:
Additional Star Originals announced for launch sometime in 2021 are:
Although not a Star Original, it's worth noting that the first five seasons of Black-ish are coming to Star. The hit comedy has not been available for streaming in Australia previously. As such, while not an "original", it will feel like it to many Australians. In total there are 100 series landing on Star that you previously couldn't stream in Australia.
The launch of Star marks the beginning of an integral new part of Disney+, making it bigger, bolder and even more exciting. The arrival of almost one thousand blockbuster movies and seasons of iconic television series, plus exclusive Star Originals promises to make Disney+ the ultimate choice for high quality entertainment with even more to explore for everyone.”
*We updated our story at 5:55pm AEDT 23 February with an additional 22 tiles joining the Australian Star library.
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