Description
Star+ is a Latin American over-the-top subscription video streaming service available in Latin America. The service is owned by the Walt Disney Company through Disney Entertainment.
The service features television and film content from the libraries of Disney subsidiaries, including Star Originals, 20th Television, 20th Television Animation, Searchlight Television, 20th Century Studios, 20th Century Animation (films only), 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.
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. 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. Star India (as well as all of the now Fox Networks Group's Asia Pacific operations) 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 The plan superseded a previously announced international expansion of the majority-controlled American streaming service, Hulu, which has only expanded outside the United States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. 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.
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. The Wrap reported that Disney had five days to respond to the Brazil lawsuit. 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.
While Disney eventually won the dispute, in July, they would lose an appeal in court in Brazil to the name dispute with Lionsgate. 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.
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.
On September 28, 2022, Lionsgate announced that its Starzplay service will rename to Lionsgate+ worldwide on the next day, including Latin America but excluding United States and Canada (where it will still be known as Starz in these regions), completely ending the name conflict with Disney's Star+ service.
