Disney’s bringing Hulu to Europe – and is calling it Star

Luca Fontana

14.12.2020

Translation: Jessica Johnson-Ferguson

On Investor Day 2020, Disney talked about its future. «Hulu», Disney’s streaming service aimed at adults, was one of the topics. It’s coming to Europe soon where it will be called «Star».

A good 50 new films and series from the «Star Wars» and «Marvel» universe were announced for the next two to three years. Primarily produced for cinema screens or for the in-house streaming service Disney+.

For the Swiss and German market, something else stands out: Star.

Why? Because it’s about Hulu. Hulu is Disney’s streaming service for grown-up, less family-oriented content. «Deadpool», for example. But Europe doesn’t have Hulu. Not yet, anyway. Things are about to change in February 2021. Disney will simply be renaming Hulu to Star in this country.

Star. Pretty cool, right? Yes, but it comes at a price.

What is Hulu or Star?

Things aren’t looking too good for Disney. Cinemas, parks, holiday resorts and cruise ships are either closed or run at a bare minimum due to the pandemic. For Disney, the streaming service is the only thing that’s currently working flawlessly.

And how!

Hulu’s been part of Disney since May 2019 and was previously partially controlled by Comcast, the parent company of Universal Pictures and Sky. Hulu serves as Disney’s platform for content that doesn’t fit into the family-friendly corporation.

Mainly for films and series from the studios of «21st Century Fox», which was acquired in March 2019. Here are some examples:

• «Deadpool»
• «The Kingsmen»
• «Terminator»
• «Love Victor»
• «The Shape of Water»
• Etc., etc., etc...

In the US, viewers can subscribe to Hulu to access this type of content. But not in Europe. At least not via a Disney-controlled streaming or video-on-demand service.

How do I get Hulu/Star on my TV?

Everything’s about to change on 23 February 2021. To access the service, you don’t need to lift a finger. All you need is a Disney+ subscription. The five existing tiles – Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic – will simply be joined by a sixth one:

Star.

Indeed, the Star tile will only be visible outside of the US, in countries where Hulu isn’t available. In any case, Disney subscribers won’t need to get a new subscription to access the Star tile. Sounds great.

But what sounds great is actually a horse trade. Why? Because Disney+ will put their prices up from 23 February 2021.

• Switzerland: 12.90 francs per month / 129.00 francs per year
• Germany: 8.99 euros per month / 89.90 euros per year

On a monthly basis, that's three francs or two euros more than before. At least the surcharge gets you a significantly larger offer. And unlike Netflix, which has had price increases in the past without any real explanation, the connection between the factor price and the factor new content is more obvious in this case.

Any more details about the content?

Yes and no. The official press release states that Star aims to offer a solid collection of movies, series, documentaries and new and exclusive originals. Concretely, we’re looking at around 50 Star originals per year.

However, there’s no official list containing all titles just yet.

Speaking of which, Disney wants to protect kids’ eyes from the adult-friendly Hulu/Star content by letting you choose which user profiles can see the Star tile. You can also add extra protection with a PIN.

Like behind-the-scenes information and news from the world of cinema and TV? Then follow me by clicking the «Follow author» button.

Luca Fontana

Senior Editor

Luca.Fontana@digitecgalaxus.ch

I write about technology as if it were cinema, and about films as if they were real life. Between bits and blockbusters, I’m after stories that move people, not just generate clicks. And yes – sometimes I listen to film scores louder than I probably should.

---

News + Trends

From the latest iPhone to the return of 80s fashion. The editorial team will help you make sense of it all.

Show all