'Big Sky,' '24,' Love, Victor' among shows to usher in Disney Plus' Star launch in Canada, Europe

Big Sky | Source: Disney

Disney Plus is getting ready to introduce its Star brand in markets that include Canada, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand starting February 23, 2021. This brand is considered the overseas streaming equivalent to Hulu, and it'll bring the company's more mature, edgy content. It will be available here through the Disney Plus app.

Some of the titles that will be available at launch include Big Sky, Love, Victor, 24, Lost, Desperate Housewives, Prison Break, Black-ish, How I Met Your Mother, Atlanta, The X-Files, and the Die Hard franchise. Many of these titles have existing licensing arrangements on other services and platforms in some territories, so these will continue to appear there until their deal periods expire.

Source: Variety

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