Disney Plus is finally getting adult TV shows and movies in the UK, as well as select other territories. This content will come under the new Star brand in 2021 – a new 'general entertainment' section that will significantly increase the remit of the service. Rather than being offered as a separate streamer, though, Disney Plus will get a small price bump anywhere that Star launches, and the vertical will be integrated into the streaming app in the UK.
Star will launch on February 23, 2021 in all territories that have been announced, including the UK.
This was confirmed at Disney's investor day livestream. You'll be given the option to enable parental controls on the app, at which point these adult-focused TV shows and movies will be added to the content mix on the homepage. You'll also have Star listed as a 'brand' when you open the Disney Plus app, alongside the existing Star Wars, Pixar, National Geographic and Marvel verticals.
What does that adult content look like on Disney Plus? It's unclear what exactly we'll get in the UK, but one example given for Star's integration was the X-Men film Logan being added to the Marvel listing page. We also spotted Kingsman, Family Guy, Planet of the Apes, Bob's Burgers, Terminator, Alien, Die Hard, Atlanta, The Americans, Modern Family and Borat. Even if these don't come to the UK, they do give you an idea of the type of content we'll see.
It's not all adult content, then – as mentioned, Disney calls it a 'general entertainment' offering.
Local originals are also part of the plan for Star. The price of Disney Plus will increase to €8.99 from €6.99 in European territories that get the new Star offering – so our guess is that the UK price will increase to around £7.99 in the UK, from the current £5.99 cost. We'll have to wait and see on that one, though.
Expect everything Disney owns that isn't suitable for kids to come to Star, then – content licences permitting.
In select international markets, Star will add a huge collection to @DisneyPlus, including hit series from Disney Television Studios and FX, blockbuster films and library content from the Disney and @21CF libraries, and exclusive local original content.December 10, 2020
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Why this could be a big win for UK subscribers
Assuming the trade-off between price and value of the new content is worth it, this could be a big win for subscribers to Disney Plus in the UK. The main problem with the service from the start has been the lack of content that appeals to people over 18 – this would appear to solve that issue.
Alien, listed next to Wall-E in a Disney-branded app! What a time to be alive. This presumably means Ellen Ripley is now a Disney princess.
When we know more details about how this will work for the UK specifically, we'll give you an update.
