It’s easy to contrast Disney+’s launch in the UK with Paramount+. There is a Disney+ in the UK, and although geeky shows like Star Trek have vanished from British screens, there’s no sign of Paramount+.
That’s not just frustrating for British audiences but seriously hurts the franchise value.
Disney’s even managed to launch Star in the UK and in many countries worldwide.
Star is a content section within Disney+ and launched in the UK 12 months ago. It’s where much of the international (meaning, not the USA) content goes.
The streaming search engine JustWatch is in the UK and tracks what people are interested in. They’ve put together their research into the top movies and shows on Disney+ since the launch of Star.
Top Disney+ shows in the UK
Top Disney+ movies in the UK
We can see that Free Guy, Nomadland and Ray and the Last Dragon top the films, whereas The Walking Dead, 9-1-1 and Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir do the same for TV shows.
Star launched on the 23rd of February 2021 in the UK. At the same time, it launched in Australia, Singapore, New Zealand, Iceland, Canada and lots of European locations.
In October, it reached Japan, and we’ve seen Disney starting to buy anime rights. South Korea and Taiwan came next in November, followed by Hong Kong.
That’s a full circle for the Star brand as it was born in Hong Kong, operating first as an acronym of Satellite Television Asian Region, even though the channel itself was founded by Hutchison Whampoa back in 1991.
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