Streaming Platforms Disney+ and Star+ Merge into a Single OTT Platform

Disney Plus, the leading family-oriented streaming platform, has announced the addition of the Star Plus catalog, promising an unparalleled entertainment experience for millions of subscribers across the Latin American region on a single OTT platform. Starting from June 26, 2024, Disney Plus will incorporate content from Star Plus and ESPN, thus eliminating the necessity for separate subscriptions and providing users with a more comprehensive experience.

Why is The Walt Disney Company making this bold move?

Despite its worldwide popularity due to classic animations, Star Wars, and Marvel franchises, Disney Plus in Latin America had limitations regarding more adult-oriented content. To access 20th Century Fox productions, series like "The Simpsons," or ESPN sporting events, users had to resort to Star Plus, incurring an additional monthly expense.

With this relaunch, Disney Plus aims to consolidate The Walt Disney Company's entire catalog into a single platform. Users will access a wide variety of general entertainment and sports content without needing to switch platforms or pay for different subscriptions.

To ensure an appropriate experience for each audience, Disney Plus will segment content into two main sections. On Star, users will find Searchlight productions, 20th Century Studios, FX, and original Latin American productions, while on ESPN, sports fans can enjoy a space exclusively dedicated to live sporting events such as basketball, football, and racing.

Additionally, Disney Plus will provide improved parental control features. Subscribers will have the option to establish PIN-protected profiles and implement viewing restrictions according to content ratings. This enhancement complements the existing children's profiles, referred to as Junior Mode, featuring a user-friendly interface presenting content suitable for various ages, along with a locked exit function to prevent minors from accessing unauthorized profiles.

What will happen to Star+ subscribers?

As of June 26, 2024, all Disney+ and Star+ subscriptions will be migrated to Disney+ Premium, with access to the full Star+ library on Disney+. The new subscription plans will be tailored to the needs of each user: Premium, Standard, and Standard with ads (initially available in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, and Colombia).

Although Star+ will be around for another few weeks, after July 24 users will have to officially wave goodbye to the website and app and stick to a single Disney Plus subscription.