Disney+ will get a $3 price increase in Canada this Feb. 2021

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While Canada is finally getting the international version of Hulu, it comes at a cost. Disney will be raising the price of the Disney+ streaming service next year by $3. Starting February 23, 2021, this new pricing will take effect, alongside the launch of Star. This price change means the monthly subscription fee for Disney+ will be $11.99 instead of $8.99. Disney reasons that it won't charge for this additional service, but, of course, the price increase already seems like it's compensating for the addition.

Don't confuse Star for Starz, which is a brand licensed by Bell Media in Canada. Star or the international version of Hulu is expected to get 35 first-run series that will premiere within a year of its launch date. However, Disney didn't specify what titles these will be, nor did they mention what titles from their existing catalogue will come to Star in Canada.

Source: CBC

Hulu and MGM plan to adapt 'The Handmaid's Tale' sequel

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Margaret Atwood's sequel to The Handmaid's Tale is set to come out on Sept 10th. And Hulu and MGM already plan to adapt The Testaments for the screen. The original dystopian novel is about a society that obliterates the rights of women, and it was published 34 years ago. Since it came out, a film version starring Natasha Richardson was released by Cinecom Pictures in 1990. And in 2017, Hulu adapted it into an Emmy award-winning show with Elizabeth Moss as the protagonist Offred. The show is set to come back for a fourth season.

Now, MGM and Hulu are in discussions with The Handmaid's Tale showrunner Bruce Miller "about how the upcoming novel can become an important extension" to the television series. But it isn't clear whether The Testaments will become a standalone film, a show, or be part of the current series. The novel will take place 15 years after the events in The Handmaid's Tale.

Source: CNET

Facebook is reportedly talking to streaming services for its camera-enabled TV streaming device

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It isn’t news that Facebook is still developing Portal video chat devices. It also isn’t news that Facebook is working on a camera-toting device that can double as a TV streaming device. What is news is that Facebook is reportedly trying to get big streaming services onboard. And that the device is expected to be announced this fall. According to The Information, Facebook supposedly approached Netflix, Disney, HBO, and Hulu about adding their subscription services to its hardware.

Disney+ isn’t going to launch until November 12^th in the US, but with a big company that owns tons of popular characters and franchises, it makes sense that Facebook would want to work with them. Netflix isn’t part of either of Facebook’s Portal products either. But now with something that serves as a streaming device, it might be more enticing for Netflix. An important question though is whether consumers will trust Facebook to put a camera in their living rooms and in front of a product they use a lot. That’s a question for another story. But we would like to see how this product turns out.

Source: The Verge

Hulu’s ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ becomes first streaming show to win in the Emmys Best Drama category

Hulu has been a slow starter in the major awards circuit. But it got a first that its rivals Amazon and Netflix haven’t been able to get yet: a win in the Outstanding Drama category at the Emmys. Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale just won in said category, besting the likes of Stranger Things, This Is Us, The Crown, Better Call Saul, Westworld, and House of Cards. The show won four other awards that night, including best actress for Elisabeth Moss and best supporting actress for Ann Dowd.

The Handmaid’s Tale is adapted from Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel of the same name. The show’s writer and executive producer Bruce Miller, who also took home an Emmy for writer in a drama series, thanked Atwood for creating “this world for all of us.”

Source: Mashable