114-831: Star (stylized as ST★R ) is a content hub within the Disney+ 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. 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 . It also features licensed non-Disney branded content through Disney Platform Distribution . The "Star" brand originated as
228-595: 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. 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
342-420: A Disney+ and Star original. Disney also plans original factual television content for the service, aiming to "find the ethos of Disney in everyday stories, inspiring hope and sparking the curiosity of audiences of all ages." Some of these series will have ties to Disney properties, including behind-the-scenes documentary miniseries focusing on Disney studios (such as one following the production of Frozen II ),
456-408: A Disney+ original. The following two Pixar films, Luca and Turning Red , were also released as Disney+ originals. On February 1, 2022, Disney announced that Star Original Korean drama series Snowdrop would be released on Disney+ in the U.S. on February 9, 2022, as a Disney+ original; this marks the series becoming the first international content for Disney+ and the first content as both
570-620: A Disney-branded streaming service that would feature its content. Production of films and television shows for exclusive release on the platform began in late 2017. Disney+ was launched on November 12, 2019, in the United States, Canada and the Netherlands, and expanded to Australia, New Zealand and Puerto Rico a week later. It became available in select European countries in March 2020 and in India in April through Star India 's Hotstar streaming service, which
684-527: A ESPN title (with content from ESPN+ ) on Disney+ beginning on December 4, however select ESPN content will still be available for non subscribers. The service is built around content from Disney's main entertainment studios and film and television library, including Walt Disney Pictures , Walt Disney Animation Studios , Disneynature , Disneytoon Studios , Pixar , Marvel Studios , Lucasfilm , National Geographic , 20th Century Studios , Searchlight Pictures , Touchstone Pictures , 20th Century Animation ,
798-415: A Future President from CBS Television Studios , its first series from an outside production company. A television series remake of the film High Fidelity was initially announced for Disney+, but in April 2019, it was announced that the project had been moved to Hulu, citing concerns from its staff that the positioning of Disney+ as a family-friendly service was at odds with their creative vision for
912-452: A Miami Herald crime reporter who won a Pulitzer Prize. The company would eventually sign a deal with ABC to develop 5 television movies for the 1993–94 and 1994-95 TV seasons. In 1992, KTMB Productions left Disney for Paramount. Eventually the team split into two separate production companies, one led by Speer and Grossman, the other led by Fanaro and Nathan. Within that same year, Wind Dancer Productions had received an exclusive deal with
1026-623: A content disclaimer on the platform noting the possibility of outdated cultural depictions. Starting in October 2020, a 12-second content disclaimer informing viewers of racially insensitive scenes plays before some older Disney films—including Peter Pan , Dumbo , Swiss Family Robinson , Lady and the Tramp , The Jungle Book , Aladdin (alongside the two direct-to-video sequels) and The Aristocats . Additionally, by January 2021, some of these films were no longer viewable on kids profiles;
1140-496: A deal with Imagine Entertainment to launch a television venture. On November 1, 1997, David Neuman assumed the presidency of Touchstone TV while retaining his post as president of Walt Disney Network Television. In March 1998, Touchstone TV was placed under Buena Vista Television Productions, a newly formed group under chairman Lloyd Braun , along with Walt Disney Network Television. In June 1998, former ABC chief Greer Shephard and NYPD Blue director Michael M. Robin launched
1254-477: A deal with Neal Marlens and Carol Black , creators of The Wonder Years , to produce three series for ABC. With difficulties of selling in the off-network syndicated market, Disney television executives decided in late September 1990 that Hull High , then on NBC, or a potential NBC mid-season replacement in Disney Action-Adventure Hour , would be its last hour-long drama. High' s pilot cost
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#17330855050911368-482: A deal with Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment , the distributor of ABC Studios/Touchstone Television shows on DVD, to acquire the distribution rights to several shows including According to Jim , Reaper , Hope & Faith , 8 Simple Rules and Boy Meets World . At the same time, new DVDs of ABC and ABC Family shows phased out the Buena Vista Home Entertainment logo at the beginning of
1482-452: A deal with the studio to produce shows. In February 2007, Disney announced that Touchstone Television would be renamed ABC Television Studio as part of Disney's push to drop secondary brands like Buena Vista in favor of the Disney, ABC and ESPN brands. By the time the name change was implemented that fall, the new name had been modified to ABC Studios. On August 4, 2008, Lionsgate completed
1596-474: A development deal with Touchstone Television to produce television series. Also that year, Marc Cherry signed a development deal at the studio. The following year, the Russo brothers has struck a two-year deal with the studio, with veteran writer and producer Steven Bochco , who had produced several shows for ABC, signing a deal with the studio that same year to produce future shows. In 2006, Marti Noxon struck
1710-425: A documentary series chronicling the cultural and societal impact of Marvel's characters. Other factual series include Encore! (a Kristen Bell -produced series that reunites casts from high school musical productions to reprise their roles), (Re)Connect (a reality series produced by Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos ' Milojo Productions), Rogue Trip (a travel series featuring Bob Woodruff and his son Mack) and
1824-429: A greater focus on streaming. They are planning to add more content for Disney+ and their other streaming platforms (such as Hulu) in the future. On December 10, 2020, Disney announced that a year after the launch of Disney+, it had over 86.8 million subscribers. It was later announced that as of January 2, 2021, the platform had over 94.9 million subscribers. In January of the same year, Ricky Strauss, who led
1938-577: A gunfight scene, making it the only film in the Disney animated canon not to be included. Despite being available at launch, at least five films— Home Alone , Home Alone 2: Lost in New York , Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides , Ice Age and Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties —had been temporarily removed from the service in the United States. It was initially unclear whether
2052-695: A hit in The Golden Girls using the Touchstone Films brand. The Touchstone name would be used for more mature shows, while the Disney name would be used for more family friendly series. By the 1986-1987 television season, Disney was producing two shows for the fall season, Sidekicks , produced under the Walt Disney Television label; and The Ellen Burstyn Show , produced under the Touchstone Television label. Both were cancelled after
2166-485: A jury trial in any disputes with the company. On October 22, 2024, following a similar policy previously implemented by Netflix and Spotify, Disney announced that in-app subscriptions for Disney+ and Hulu through the Apple App Store on iOS will no longer be accepted. This change coincided with a price hike of US$ 2 for users who subscribed through the website. In November 2024, Disney announced that it will be adding
2280-424: A long-term contract with producer Michael Jacobs and his production company . Among the first projects under the collaboration was Singer & Sons , for NBC in 1990. The company also had a contract with producer Terry Louise Fisher , after she quit L.A. Law due to disputes with co-creator Steven Bochco and studio 20th Television , then-known as 20th Century Fox Television. Later that year, Disney signed
2394-465: A majority stake in the future. Following the purchase, ESPN announced plans for an "exploratory [over-the-top] project" based on its technology ( ESPN+ ) to supplant its existing linear television services. On August 8, 2017, Disney invoked its option to acquire a controlling stake in BAMTech for $ 1.58 billion, increasing its stake to 75%. Alongside the acquisition, the company also announced plans for
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#17330855050912508-579: A new group taking in Touchstone Television and other TV units of the Disney studios. In 1995, they returned to producing dramas with Nowhere Man . That same year, Wind Dancer was signed to a new deal with Disney, following the expiration of their contract with ABC. In April 1996, with the ongoing post-Disney-CC/ABC merger and the retirement of its president, Walt Disney Television and Telecommunications' divisions were reassigned to other groups, with Walt Disney Television and Touchstone Television transferred to The Walt Disney Studios . In 1997, Disney struck
2622-665: A potential to grow to additional series. Hulu had dropped out of the Grisham Universe by September 5, 2019, with the pair being shopped given other interested outlets. From its pilot, Signature's The Wilds , a young adult drama, was picked up in May 2019 by Amazon, its first from the company. Underwood was promoted in February 2020 to the new position of executive vice president, creative affairs of ABC Studios to oversee development at ABC Studio in addition to managing ABC Signature. After
2736-614: A production company with an exclusive agreement at the studio. In May 1999, J.J. Abrams , who created Felicity at that time, signed a film and television deal with the studio. By June 1999, Neuman left for the Digital Entertainment Network. In 1999, after Disney's Smart Guy was cancelled, all Disney shows for primetime would be produced under the Touchstone Television label. In late 1999, Walt Disney Television Studios (also called Buena Vista Television Group or Buena Vista Television Productions), were transferred from
2850-414: A second, Disney-branded direct-to-consumer service drawing from its entertainment content, which would launch after the company ends its existing distribution agreement with Netflix in 2019. Not long after, Agnes Chu , story and franchise development executive at Walt Disney Imagineering , was the first executive appointed for the unit, as senior vice president of content. Chu led two projects to launch
2964-407: A section within its main platform, Disney+, starting on June 26, 2024. On July 25, 2024, Disney announced a partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery to offer Disney+, Hulu and Max as a bundle in the United States. After a woman died in a Disney Springs restaurant, Disney argued that if a user signs up for a Disney+ subscription or a free trial, the user permanently relinquishes their right to
3078-528: A streaming service rather than in movie theaters. Chu later left in August 2020. In December 2017, Disney announced its intent to acquire key entertainment assets from 21st Century Fox . Intended to bolster Disney's content portfolio for its streaming products, the acquisition was completed on March 20, 2019. In January 2018, it was reported that former Apple and Samsung executive Kevin Swint had been appointed
3192-500: A streaming service. Following a carriage agreement with Spectrum in September 2023, Disney+ became available to Spectrum TV Select subscribers for no extra cost. The ad-tier version was later launched in Canada and parts of Europe by November 1, 2023. On December 6, 2023, Disney added a Hulu content hub to Disney+ as a beta for U.S. Disney Bundle subscribers, in a similar manner to
3306-452: A total of 161.8 million Disney+ subscribers worldwide at the end of 2022, with a gain of 200,000 in Canada and the United States, but a net loss of 2.4 million worldwide attributed to the loss of streaming rights to Indian Premier League cricket in India. On May 18, 2023, it was announced that Disney+ and Hulu would remove nearly 60 original films and series on May 26 to "cut costs". The news sparked some backlash, mostly towards
3420-461: A trial version of Disney+ became available in the Netherlands with limited content available. This testing phase lasted until the official launch on November 12, when trial users were switched to a paid plan. Disney+ became available for pre-order in September in the United States with a 7-day free trial upon launch. In October 2019, Disney released a video that ran for three hours and eighteen minutes on YouTube to showcase their launch lineup. It
3534-456: A two-year first-look with Black Label Media , started by Molly Smith , Trent Luckinbill and Thad Luckinbill three years prior as a finance and production company. McG's Wonderland Sound & Vision signed a two-year overall production agreement with Signature, Freeform and ABC Studios in October 2015. This follows two productions from McG on Freeform/ABC Family. Signature signed SMILF creator, executive producer and star Frankie Shaw to
Star (Disney+) - Misplaced Pages Continue
3648-477: A two-year overall deal in July 2018. In March 2019, the deal was suspended following an investigation into allegations of misconduct against Shaw on the set of SMILF . In April 2016, Freeform greenlit Cloak & Dagger with a straight-to-series order, as Marvel Television 's first co-production with Signature. Another co-production with Marvel Television was greenlit in August 2016, with Runaways confirmed for
3762-446: Is released weekly, as opposed to all at once with the release time initially being 12:01 am. PT on Fridays, which lasted from November 15, 2019, to June 25, 2021. With the premiere of Loki , which debuted on June 9, 2021, Disney shifted the release schedule for new original series and new seasons of the respective series to Wednesdays. On December 25, 2020, Soul became the first feature-length film from Pixar to be released as
3876-459: Is subject to the acquisition or expiration of existing streaming rights deals for Disney content. On August 6, 2019, Iger announced that it would offer a streaming bundle of Disney+, ESPN+ and the ad-supported version of Hulu for $ 12.99 per month available at launch. At the D23 Expo in August 2019, Disney opened subscriptions to Disney+ at a discounted rate for three years. On September 12, 2019,
3990-538: 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
4104-459: The Columbia Pictures division (Spider-Man). On June 16, 2023, The Incredible Hulk was added to Disney+ after the rights to the film reverted to Marvel Studios and Disney from Universal. Some films were modified by Disney: a post-credits scene from Toy Story 2 was edited out; nudity was eliminated from Splash by adding digital hair, blurring and cropping certain scenes, although
4218-573: The Hulu streaming service. Signature also put a live-action Mighty Ducks series in development beginning in January 2018, which later ended up as a Disney+ original series called The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers . Signature is teaming with John Grisham , Hulu and Michael Seitzman's Maniac Productions to create a Grisham Universe set of series. The franchise would begin with two series, The Rainmaker and Rogue Lawyer , based on Grisham's books, with
4332-425: The acquisition of 21st Century Fox completed on March 20, 2019, ABC Studios and ABC Signature Studios both became part of Disney Television Studios. In July 2019, Disney TV Studios announced a reorganization in executive leadership. Fox TV executives Jonnie Davis and Josh Sussman have replaced Patrick Moran and Howard Davine as president and executive vice president of business affairs of ABC Studios respectively. It
4446-491: 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, outside of the United States, the Hulu brand is not well known while Star is much more recognizable. Disney officially announced Star and Star+ on December 10, 2020, at its Investor Day Event. During
4560-474: The ABC television network, with Disney serving as distributor of their series. And also that year, Michael Jacobs had renewed his deal with the studio. In 1993, Disney had reached a deal with comedian Sinbad and his David & Golitah Productions company for a film and TV deal. On August 24, 1994, with Jeffrey Katzenberg 's resignation, Richard Frank became head of Walt Disney Television and Telecommunications ,
4674-522: The Animal Kingdom (a docuseries following the animal caretakers of Disney's Animal Kingdom and Epcot 's aquarium ) and The World According to Jeff Goldblum . Disney reached a two-year pact with the documentary studio Supper Club ( Brian McGinn , David Gelb and Jason Sterman, producers of Netflix's Chef's Table ) to produce content for the service, including the conservation -themed nature documentary series Earthkeepers , and Marvel's 616 ,
Star (Disney+) - Misplaced Pages Continue
4788-693: The Disney Studios to the ABC Television Network to merge with ABC's primetime division, ABC Entertainment, forming the ABC Entertainment Television Group. By then, the Walt Disney Television label was dropped and all primetime programming produced by Disney would use the "Touchstone Television" name. Shortly afterwards, writer Seth Kurland struck a deal with the studio to produce shows. Following Kurland's deal, writer Don Reo , formerly of Lenny and Blossom when Witt-Thomas
4902-546: The Disney-themed competition cooking competition Be Our Chef , Cinema Relics (a documentary series showcasing iconic costume and props from Disney films), Marvel's Hero Project (a series showcasing "inspiring kids [that] have dedicated their lives to selfless acts of bravery and kindness") and The Imagineering Story (a Leslie Iwerks -directed documentary series chronicling the history and work of Walt Disney Imagineering ). National Geographic also produced Magic of
5016-580: The Star Asia Pacific business was later brought under the Fox International Channels division. 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
5130-429: The Star content hub used internationally. In March 2024, Disney+ debuted an updated teal logo design, which Jess Weatherbed at The Verge believed was preparation for the service's integration with Hulu. The new animated logo for the streamer to serve as its splash screen and to open original series and films was also revealed that same month, with a short orchestral theme composed by Ludwig Göransson . The interface
5244-530: 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). 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. Many productions for which
5358-590: 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 . 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
5472-433: The United States during the pay-one window, with Ron's Gone Wrong being the first film under the deal, becoming available on both Disney+ and HBO Max on December 15, 2021. Disney still has full streaming rights to any 20th Century and Searchlight films produced for Disney+ or Hulu, while the Disney deal with WarnerMedia for streaming 20th Century and Searchlight films on HBO Max ended in 2022, with Disney+ and Hulu assuming
5586-750: The United States, most of the films from the Marvel Cinematic Universe were available at launch, with the exception of seven films: Thor: Ragnarok (added on December 5, 2019), Black Panther (added on March 4, 2020), Avengers: Infinity War (added on June 25, 2020) and Ant-Man and the Wasp (added on August 14, 2020), due to existing licensing deals with Netflix; and The Incredible Hulk , Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home , which were initially unavailable because their distribution rights were initially owned by Universal Pictures ( The Incredible Hulk ) and Sony Pictures through
5700-413: The United States, with that version also expanding to other international territories in 2023. Disney later announced on August 10, 2022, that the ad-supported version of Disney+ launches on December 8, with more than 100 advertisers. Costing US$ 7.99 per month, with the ad free version of Disney+ receiving a price hike of US$ 3. In May 2022, the company reported it gained 7.9 million subscribers over
5814-465: The Winter Soldier , Loki , Hawkeye and its spin-off Echo , Moon Knight , Ms. Marvel , She-Hulk: Attorney at Law , Secret Invasion , Ironheart , Daredevil: Born Again and Wonder Man . Animated Marvel series include What If..? , I Am Groot , X-Men '97 , Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man and Marvel Zombies . In January 2019, Disney+ ordered Diary of
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#17330855050915928-620: The animated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse . 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. Other mature and non-Marvel related Sony Pictures titles that premiered on Disney's linear networks available on
6042-435: The bundled approach had less subscriber churn than the individual services alone, but that "there may also be certain constraints that we're under that could at least, from a short-term standpoint, limit our ability to do what long term we might feel was ideal, but frankly we don't know what's ideal yet." On March 4, 2022, Disney announced they will plan to launch a low-cost ad -supported version of Disney+ by late 2022 in
6156-444: The cancellation of the three prime-time series on CBS in 1983, Disney ventured back into primetime television. The Touchstone Films banner was used for television by then-new Disney CEO Michael Eisner in the 1984–1985 television season, with the short lived western Wildside . By 1985, Disney signed an agreement with sitcom producers Witt-Thomas-Harris Productions . In the next season, Disney's television production unit produced
6270-598: The co-producers of Harrow , by February 2018. With ABC picking up the international unit's Reef Break in August 2018, ABC Studios started co-producing. In August 2017, Ryan Seacrest Productions left CBS at the end of their deal to move over to ABC Studios. Following the expansion of its cable/streaming unit, ABC Studios launched a new alternative division for the full range of unscripted work, from documentaries to game shows to social experiment series. The former executive vice president of development and production at Ryan Seacrest Productions, along with Fernando Hernandez,
6384-660: The company $ 4.5 million. The company also had another drama in collaboration with Stephen J. Cannell , The 100 Lives of Black Jack Savage , which was produced under the Walt Disney TV label. In 1991, Disney collaborated with Michael Jacobs and Jim Henson Productions on a primetime sitcom with puppets by Jim Henson's Creature Shop , Dinosaurs , which debuted on ABC. In 1992, the Touchstone TV label moved into producing longer forms for TV, focusing on more adult-oriented fare with its first telefilm for CBS about Edna Buchanan,
6498-721: The controls that already exist for other regions that have the Star content hub. On December 6, 2023, Disney launched a content hub for Disney+ similar to that of Star, which contains Hulu content for Disney Bundle subscribers in the United States in beta. It is suggested that Disney+ had approximately 7,000 television episodes and 500 films at launch, including original television series and films from Disney Channel , National Geographic and Freeform , as well as select titles from 20th Television , 20th Television Animation and ABC Signature . New releases from 20th Century Studios would not immediately be available on either Disney+ or Hulu at
6612-499: The country. 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, Marvel related titles starting with Spider-Man films added to Disney+'s Marvel hub in June 2022. This also included
6726-482: The disc and replaced it with the ABC Studios and ABC Family logos, respectively. In June 2009, ABC Entertainment announced a new organization, effective immediately as ABC Entertainment Group, while consolidating back office functions like business affairs, distribution and scheduling of ABC Studios and ABC Entertainment and retaining separate creative units. In January 2010, Disney-ABC Television Group announced it
6840-456: The entire Disney film library, including all of the films that are currently in the " Disney Vault ". However, he stated that the controversial Song of the South (1946), which has never been released on home video in its entirety in the United States, will never be released on the service. Walt Disney Animation Studios ' 1946 film Make Mine Music is not available on the service, possibly due to
6954-443: 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. Star was launched in Canada, United Kingdom, Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore on February 23, 2021, while
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#17330855050917068-745: The fall 1986 season, to be followed up by two more shows produced by Touchstone, the ABC show Harry , and the Fox show Down and Out in Beverly Hills . In 1987, Randy Reiss was named president of both television units. In the fall of 1987, Disney sold its third television drama, The Oldest Rookie , to CBS. In late 1988, after Witt/Thomas/Harris pulled out of the TeleVentures production unit (they were co-founders along with Tri-Star Pictures and Stephen J. Cannell Productions ), Disney began selling, marketing and distributing Witt/Thomas programs exclusively. It
7182-645: The first six films of the Star Wars franchise would be available in the United States at the service's launch, as TBS held streaming rights through 2024 as part of its cable rights to the franchise, but in April 2019, it was announced that the films would be available at launch along with The Force Awakens and Rogue One , with The Last Jedi being added on December 26, 2019, The Rise of Skywalker being added on May 4 , 2020, and Solo: A Star Wars Story being added on July 10, 2020. On April 2, 2021, several older Star Wars spin-offs were released. In
7296-537: The first three months of 2022. In August 2022, it was announced that the combined total of subscribers across all Disney streaming platforms including Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ had surpassed Netflix with roughly 221 million. In January 2023, Disney+ received its first Academy Award nomination, for the Italian film Le pupille in the Best Live Action Short Film category. In February 2023, Disney reported
7410-511: The former Saban Entertainment , Blue Sky Studios and Hollywood Pictures . The service operates alongside Hulu , which Disney gained a controlling stake in following the 21st Century Fox purchase. Bob Iger stated that at launch, Disney+ would focus on family-oriented entertainment (not carrying any content rated R , NC-17 or TV-MA ) and that Hulu would continue to host general entertainment; Hulu also hosts Disney+ as an add-on service. Content intended for mature audiences (R and TV-MA)
7524-656: The former head of Universal Television Alternative Studios , were hired by the studio to lead the division around January 2018. This division was announced in October 2018 with a small slate under production executive Gareth Provan, and an in-house development group called The Originals Group. The division is tapping existing production companies with deals at ABC Studios, including Ryan Seacrest Productions, Larry Wilmore's Wilmore Films and Bob Sertner Productions, in addition to partnerships that Hernandez has developed, including those with Mission Control Media, Parker Paige Media, INE Entertainment, and Party Pit Productions. ABC Studios
7638-469: The full pay-one rights to films released after 2022. On September 3, 2024, ABC News Live was added to Disney+ as a continuous playlist, alongside a continuous Disney+ Playtime preschool playlist. The service's initial original content goal was planned to include four to five original films and five television shows with budgets from $ 25–100 million. In January 2019, it was reported that Disney would spend up to $ 500 million in original content for
7752-456: The initial decision to remove Howard , the documentary on the life of songwriter Howard Ashman , on the eve of Pride Month and the release of the live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid . However, it was confirmed the next day that the film will remain available on the service. On July 1, more original films and series were removed globally, including Crater , which was released seven weeks prior. However, on September 26, 2023, it
7866-921: The interface now provides the Star hub, as part of an ongoing "Hotstar X" refresh in various markets. Disney%2B Disney+ is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming media service owned and operated by Disney Streaming , the streaming division of Disney Entertainment , a major business segment of the Walt Disney Company . The service primarily distributes films and television shows produced by Walt Disney Studios and Disney Television Studios , with dedicated content hubs for Disney's flagship brands; Disney , Pixar , Marvel , Star Wars , National Geographic , ESPN (Latin America and Caribbean only), Hulu (U.S. only) and Star (outside U.S.), as well as showcasing original and exclusive films and television shows . Disney+ relies on technology developed by Disney Streaming, which
7980-500: The international distribution rights. 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. In Japan, besides Disney-owned contents, Star also provides anime series produced in
8094-426: The international unit's top executives including managing director Keli Lee occurred. However, no replacements have been named given a re-assessing of the unit is taking place. On August 10, 2020, ABC Studios and ABC Signature were merged into one unit as part of a restructuring plan by Disney regarding their television production units; the merged company took on the latter's name. Meanwhile, Fox 21 Television Studios
8208-519: The issues were due to third party devices. On November 18, 2019, an investigation by ZDNet discovered that thousands of users' accounts were hacked using keystroke logging or info-stealing malware . Their email addresses and passwords were changed, "effectively taking over the account and locking the previous owner out", and their login information was put up for sale on the dark web . On March 12, 2020, Vanessa Morrison, who previously served as President of Fox Family and 20th Century Animation ,
8322-520: The local and international co-productions, IP reinventions, and original format acquisitions and productions. This would add to Disney-ABC's international productions in Latin America, where the company has 16 years of producing local content. In April 2017, the international unit greenlit its first co-production, the Australian series Harrow . Lee signed a first look deal with Hoodlum Entertainment ,
8436-562: 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, 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
8550-510: The new unit. First, Disney needed to verify exactly what content could be physically and legally made available through a streaming service right away, which meant physically reviewing all content in Disney's vaults that had not recently undergone restoration , and reviewing "binders of pieces of paper with legal deals" to identify potential obstacles. Second, Chu met with leaders of Disney's various content-producing divisions to start brainstorming which projects would be appropriate for release on
8664-699: The next few years. In May 2023, Disney rolled out the Star hub for Disney+ Hotstar subscribers in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. In March 2024, it was announced that the Star hub would be added on Disney+ in Latin America on June 26, 2024, while its separate platform, Star+ , would be discontinued on July 24 of same year. 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
8778-566: The original uncensored theatrical version was restored to the service in 4K in November 2022; films such as Adventures in Babysitting , Free Solo and Hamilton are altered to remove profanities; The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin (1967) was edited to remove racial slurs , and the short film Santa's Workshop (1932) was edited to remove a " stereotypical black doll". Some older content, such as films, animated shorts and series, have
8892-663: The previous year. In late 2015, Disney launched a streaming service in the United Kingdom called DisneyLife to test the streaming market. It was later launched in the Philippines on May 25, 2018. The UK version was replaced by Disney+ on March 24, 2020, while discontinued in the Philippines on April 1 that year. In August 2016, Disney acquired a minority stake in BAMTech (a spin-off of MLB Advanced Media 's streaming technology business) for $ 1 billion, with an option to acquire
9006-500: The program, in 1981, it struck an agreement with CBS to take the anthology program there. In 1982, Disney produced the first prime-time show since the cancellation of Zorro in 1959, Herbie the Love Bug . It was cancelled after only one season. It was followed by three more programs as part of an agreement with CBS, Gun Shy , Small & Frye and Zorro and Son . These were sitcoms, and were cancelled after one season. After
9120-493: The reality competition Shop Class . ABC Signature ABC Signature was an American television production studio and the flagship production arm of ABC , which is a subsidiary of Disney Television Studios , a sub-division of the Disney Entertainment business segment and division of The Walt Disney Company . The studio's banner was also used by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment for its distribution of
9234-424: The same programs are available as part of Hotstar's general-interest content, often categorized under hubs such as Star World. 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
9348-412: The senior vice president and general manager, reporting to BAMTech CEO Michael Paull, who leads development. In March 2018, Disney's top level segment division was reorganized with the formation of Disney Direct-to-Consumer and International, which then included BAMTech, which contains "all consumer-facing tech and products". In June of the same year, longtime Disney studio marketing chief, Ricky Strauss,
9462-520: The series. Love, Victor , a spin-off of the film Love, Simon , was similarly shifted from Disney+ to Hulu in February 2020. In August 2019, Iger announced that 20th Century Fox properties such as Home Alone , Night at the Museum , Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Cheaper by the Dozen will be "'reimagined' for 'a new generation'" exclusively for Disney+ by Fox Family . Most original episodic content
9576-693: The service was launched in Hong Kong and Taiwan later in 2021. Disney promoted the launch by naming several stars in the International Star Registry . 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. It
9690-504: The service would be named Disney+ and that the company was targeting a launch in late 2019. A September launch was reportedly planned, but on April 11, 2019, Disney announced that Disney+ would launch on November 12, 2019, in the United States. Disney stated that it planned to roll the service out worldwide over the next two years, targeting Western Europe and Asia-Pacific countries by late 2019 and early 2020, and Eastern Europe and Latin America during 2020. The timing of international launches
9804-410: The service's content curation and marketing efforts, left the company. In March 2021, Disney announced an increase to the streaming service's pricing that would take place on March 26, 2021. In the second quarter of 2021, Disney+ added 8.7 million subscribers. In August 2021, Disney CEO Bob Chapek suggested that, eventually, Disney+ could be merged with Hulu (as in other markets), citing that
9918-554: The service. Original series based on Star Wars and Marvel properties have been or are being produced. Original Star Wars series include The Mandalorian and its spin-offs The Book of Boba Fett and Ahsoka , a seventh season of the animated The Clone Wars (and a spin-off series titled The Bad Batch ), as well as Obi-Wan Kenobi , Andor , Skeleton Crew , The Acolyte and Lando . Original Marvel series include WandaVision and its spin-offs Agatha: Darkhold Diaries and Vision Quest , The Falcon and
10032-414: The service. This comes after Westmoreland had tried to arrange a sexual encounter with a minor in 2018, which led to his conviction. On November 22, 2021, Disney and WarnerMedia reached a deal to amend the pre-existing deal HBO had with 21st Century Fox to allow Disney+ or Hulu and HBO Max to share the streaming rights to half of 20th Century Studios' and Searchlight Pictures' 2022 theatrical slate in
10146-464: The start, as the studio had pre-existing output deals with other premium TV and streaming providers (including HBO in the United States until 2022, Crave in Canada and Sky in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy and Germany). Captain Marvel , Dumbo (2019) and Avengers: Endgame became the first theatrically released Disney films to stream exclusively on Disney+ within the pay-cable window. It
10260-436: The studio's shows on home video starting 2008. Established in 1950 as the television unit of the company under the name Walt Disney Productions it was renamed Walt Disney Network Television in 1983 and was merged with a separate studio known as the first incarnation of Touchstone Television , which was established in 1985. Disney rebranded the studio as ABC Studios in 2007 in an in-house push to drop secondary brands. It
10374-482: The studio. On October 29, 2021, writer-producer Lila Byock also signed an overall deal with the studio. Matt Lopez, creator/executive producer of Promised Land , also signed an overall deal with the studio the same year on November 17. On October 1, 2024, Eric Schrier, president of Disney Television Studios & Business Operations, announced that ABC Signature would be dissolved effective immediately, with its operations folded into sister company 20th Television . As
10488-422: The success of Disneyland , in 1957, Disney was producing another primetime series for ABC, the western show Zorro . It did not last long in the ratings and was cancelled in 1959. In 1961, Disney severed its terms with ABC and moved its weekly program to NBC, where it stayed for nearly 20 years until 1981. For years, Disney's lone television show on primetime was the eponymous anthology series. After NBC axed
10602-553: The titles were still available to view on regular profiles. X-Men: Days of Future Past , which was released by 20th Century Fox on May 23, 2014, contains both nudity and the word " fuck ", began airing uncensored in mid-2020. Some series are missing episodes, including Darkwing Duck , The Little Mermaid , The Proud Family , Phineas and Ferb , Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends , The Muppet Show , and The Simpsons , among other programs. All episodes featuring Stoney Westmoreland on Andi Mack are banned from
10716-493: Was a flop and sold Disney's interest in the series to Alliance Atlantis . By 2001, Steve McPherson signed on as president of the television unit. While two of their pilots were in consideration to be picked up by ABC in April 2003, Tollin/Robbins Productions signed a two-year development deal with Touchstone Television, which included a two-year option, shares in profits and outside sales. In 2004, Alias creator J.J. Abrams and his Bad Robot production company had struck
10830-446: Was also announced that Amy Hartwick, the studio's head of the comedy department, has exited. In September 2019, ABC Studios' alternative division head Hernandez exited the post, with ABC indicating that they would remain in the businesses. ABC Studios International produced the anthology series Unsung Heroes which was in development while the company was launching ABC Discover to find more British talent. In December 2019, an exodus of
10944-399: Was also reported that Disney would ban advertisements for competitor Netflix from most of its TV platforms, except ESPN. Disney+ launched on November 12, 2019, Midnight Pacific Time in the three initial launch countries. The services had some issues the first day with logging in (about 33% of the problems), accessing specific content (about 66%), setting up profiles and watch lists. Some of
11058-521: Was also updated to match the new teal color scheme, which was dubbed "Aurora" as an homage to Princess Aurora from Sleeping Beauty (1959). On March 27, 2024, the Hulu content hub officially exited beta. Likewise, as a consequence of this, The Walt Disney Company Latin America announced in December that the Star+ platform available in Latin America would be discontinued in that region to later be merged as
11172-404: Was announced that Disney+ would add the first 30 seasons of The Simpsons to the service at launch, as the series' new exclusive home, with season 31 being added on October 2, 2020, season 32 being added on September 29, 2021, and season 33 being added on October 5, 2022, in the United States. Season 34 was added to the service on October 11, 2023. Iger said that Disney+ will eventually host
11286-421: Was appointed President of Streaming for Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production and currently oversees the development and production of Disney+ film content from The Walt Disney Studios for both Disney Live Action and 20th Century Studios . Morrison reports directly to President of Walt Disney Pictures Sean Bailey . On October 12, 2020, Disney announced a reorganization of their media business with
11400-404: Was criticized for technical problems and missing content. Alterations made to films and television shows also attracted media attention. Ten million users had subscribed to Disney+ by the end of its first day of operation. In the third quarter of 2024, the number of global Disney+ subscribers amounted to 153.8 million. This marked a growth of around seven million compared with the same quarter of
11514-530: Was cutting 5% of its workforce. In October 2012, ABC Studios formed its Signature unit to sell to outside networks. In early 2016, ABC Studios International (also referred to as ABC International Studios) was set up with the appointment of Keli Lee as its managing director of international content and talent, combined with her move to London. The unit, announced at MIPCOM in October 2016, would allow more overseas local productions, leveraging fellow Disney Media Network expertises in distribution and production for
11628-691: Was included in ABC's summer schedule and renewed for another season. In October 2013, the division placed its first outside project, Benched , for USA , with a pilot order that finished shooting by December. Other projects were in the works with A&E , WE tv and TBS. In the works with ABC, Signature has a possible straight-to-series Stephen King story adaptation called Grand Central , based on The New York Times at Special Bargain Rates . Corporate sibling Freeform picked up Rated P For Parenthood for development as its first program from Signature in June 2014. In April 2015, Signature and ABC Studios signed
11742-524: Was indeed launched in May 2022 in South Africa and in June 2022 in various MENA and European countries. 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. Disney plans to produce more Korean, Japanese and other Asian content under Star and Disney+ in
11856-399: Was inherited and got retooled as a content platform within the service in some regions, with Latin America having its own standalone service, Star+ , until June 26 and July 24, 2024. With BAMTech helping to launch ESPN+ in early 2018, and Disney's streaming distribution deal with Netflix ending in 2019, Disney took the opportunity to use technologies being developed for ESPN+ to establish
11970-537: Was later added to the service, including the Disney+ original The Beatles: Get Back (2021), which includes a content warning , and the Marvel series produced for Netflix , all of which are rated TV-MA. With the addition of the Marvel Netflix series in March 2022, revised parental controls were introduced to the service in the United States to allow the more mature content of the series to be added, similarly to
12084-427: Was moving to sell to outside networks. As the studios have placed the former ABC comedy Cougar Town at TBS , and Devious Maids at Lifetime , Signature was set up in October 2012 to continue the trend. In 2013, ABC Studios vice president of drama Tracy Underwood was appointed senior vice president of ABC Signature. Signature was incorporated on September 23, 2013 . Signature developed Mistresses , which
12198-611: Was named president of content and marketing, however reporting to chairman of Disney Direct-to-Consumer and International Kevin Mayer. In January 2019, Fox Television Group COO Joe Earley was named executive vice president of marketing and operations. In June 2019, Matt Brodlie was named as senior vice president of international content development. In August 2019, Luke Bradley-Jones was hired as senior vice president of direct to consumer and general manager of Disney+ for Europe and Africa. On November 8, 2018, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced that
12312-408: Was originally established as BAMTech in 2015 when it was spun off from MLB Advanced Media (MLBAM). Disney increased its ownership share of BAMTech to a controlling stake in 2017 and subsequently transferred ownership to Walt Disney Direct-to-Consumer & International , as part of a corporate restructuring in anticipation of Disney's acquisition of 21st Century Fox , through which the Star brand
12426-504: Was producing for Disney also struck a deal with the studio. Around the same time, Touchstone Television sold the series, Daddio to NBC. The program lasted only nine episodes before NBC cancelled it. In 2000, Touchstone Television created two departments for comedy in September, and a department for drama in December. Touchstone Television had infamously left the production of the CBS series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation in 2000, fearing it
12540-511: Was rebranded as Disney+ Hotstar . Additional European countries received Disney+ in September 2020, with the service expanding to Latin America in November 2020. It later expanded in Southeast Asian countries since 2021, followed by countries in Northern and Eastern Europe, Middle East and parts of Africa since May 2022. Upon launch, it was met with positive reception of its content library, but
12654-443: Was renamed Touchstone Television , restoring that brand name after a thirteen-year dormancy (only to be folded into 20th Television on December 1 that year), and 20th Century Fox Television was renamed 20th Television (the former name of that entity's domestic syndication division, which in turn was absorbed into Disney–ABC Domestic Television ). On August 18, 2021, writers Jordan Reddout and Gus Hickey signed an overall deal with
12768-708: Was renewed two years later in 1990; the duo left to sign with rival Warner Bros. Television in 1992. On April 18, 1989, Walt Disney Television and Touchstone Television were grouped together under Garth Ancier , the then-president of network television for Walt Disney Studios. The following week, Disney struck development deals with upstart Wind Dancer Productions (headed by Roseanne alumnus Matt Williams ), and KTMB Productions (backed by The Golden Girls writers Kathy Speer, Terry Grossman, Barry Fanaro and Mort Nathan ). The first projects were Wind Dancer's Carol & Company and KTMB's The Fanelli Boys , both of which aired on NBC. That same year, Disney signed
12882-415: Was revealed that six of the removed original films: Crater , Better Nate Than Ever , Flora & Ulysses , The One And Only Ivan , Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made and the 2022 remake of Cheaper by the Dozen were released for purchase on multiple digital platforms including Amazon Prime Video , iTunes , Vudu and Google Play , a move that some considered as historic and unconventional for
12996-544: Was then renamed to its current name on August 10, 2020, after it merged with another separate studio, ABC Signature Studios . It was folded into 20th Television , which had been acquired by Disney in 2019. In the 1930s, Walt Disney had no interest in television, but that changed by 1950 when he did an hour-long special on NBC , followed up a year after by a special on CBS . Both of these programs received excellent ratings. Disney eventually got into full series production when Disneyland debuted on ABC in 1954. Following
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