Disney described STAR+ as a standalone Latin American streaming offering that combined general entertainment with ESPN sports.[1]

Background

The origins of STAR+ can be traced to Disney’s international streaming strategy following the launch of Disney+ in 2019.[2] In international markets, much of Disney’s traditional entertainment catalogue from studios such as 20th Century Studios, Searchlight Pictures, FX, ABC, and Hulu-related productions was not specifically aimed at children or families and sat awkwardly alongside Disney’s family-oriented brands. Consequently, Disney created Star, a general-entertainment brand for international Disney+ markets.

Latin America, however, was treated differently. At Disney’s 2020 Investor Day, the company announced that the region would receive a separate streaming service called STAR+ rather than simply receiving Star as a Disney+ content section. This service was designed to combine general entertainment with ESPN’s extensive sports portfolio and locally produced programming.[1]

Launch

STAR+ officially launched in Latin America on 31 August 2021. Disney’s original strategy made the service available as a standalone subscription and as a bundle with Disney+. The platform featured general entertainment programming, live sports and sports programming from ESPN, and locally produced Latin American originals. Disney’s 2021 annual reporting confirmed the launch date and identified STAR+ programming as encompassing general entertainment, licensed content, and live sports.

STAR+ was deliberately broader and more adult-oriented than Disney+. Its catalogue drew from a large collection of Disney-owned and licensed properties.

Television

Major television categories included general entertainment series, comedy, drama, crime and thriller programming, adult animation, reality and unscripted programming, documentary programming, Latin American productions, and international television series. Titles associated with the Star ecosystem included The Simpsons, Grey’s Anatomy, Modern Family, and programming from FX and other Disney entertainment divisions.[1]

Films

STAR+ carried films from Disney’s broader studio portfolio, including titles inappropriate for the traditional family positioning of Disney+. The catalogue included productions associated with:

• 20th Century Studios
• Searchlight Pictures
• 20th Century Animation
• Touchstone Pictures
• Hollywood Pictures
• Disney television studios
• Other Disney-owned or licensed catalogues

Disney’s original presentation of STAR+ specifically demonstrated titles such as Deadpool 2 and The Devil Wears Prada alongside general entertainment television.[1]

Adult-oriented content

A key strategic difference between STAR+ and Disney+ was the ability to carry content intended for older audiences. This included programming featuring strong language, violence, mature themes, sexual content, and adult comedy. This capability was particularly important for Disney’s post-21st Century Fox acquisition streaming strategy.

The most significant feature distinguishing STAR+ from the international Star hub was sports. Disney utilised STAR+ as a major streaming destination for ESPN sports in Latin America. Depending on the country and rights available, STAR+ provided access to live and on-demand sports including:

• Football/soccer
• Tennis
• American sports
• Motorsport
• Combat sports
• Other ESPN programming
• Live sporting events
• Sports analysis and studio programming

Disney’s 2020 announcement specifically highlighted soccer leagues, Grand Slam tennis, and other ESPN programming as central components of STAR+.[1] Because ESPN already held an exceptionally strong position in Latin American sports broadcasting, STAR+ effectively combined two businesses: Disney’s general-entertainment streaming catalogue and ESPN’s streaming sports offering.

STAR+ served as a platform for local original productions. Disney invested in original programming specifically intended for Latin American audiences, including productions from Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, and other Latin American markets. These productions helped differentiate STAR+ from global competitors and allowed Disney to develop entertainment specifically for the region. Disney’s initial STAR+ strategy explicitly included local originals alongside international entertainment and ESPN sports.[1]

STAR+ and Disney+ were separate but closely connected services. Subscribers could generally subscribe to STAR+ independently or obtain it together with Disney+ through a bundled offering known as Combo+ in Latin America. Corporate reporting confirms that STAR+ was offered both as a standalone service and in conjunction with Disney+.

The distinction between the services was generally defined as follows:

• Disney+: Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, and family-oriented programming.
• STAR+: General entertainment, mature movies and series, FX and other entertainment properties, Latin American originals, and ESPN sports.

This arrangement allowed Disney to maintain the Disney+ brand as relatively family-friendly while offering adults a significantly broader catalogue.

Although the two-platform approach had advantages, it created additional complexity for consumers who potentially managed two subscriptions instead of one. Disney eventually determined that consolidating the services would provide a simpler user experience. In March 2024, Disney announced that Latin American Disney+ would absorb STAR+’s general-entertainment catalogue and ESPN’s sports offering.[1]

Transition timeline

The transition occurred in stages:

• 26 June 2024: A new version of Disney+ launched in Latin America, incorporating Star general entertainment, STAR+ programming, ESPN sports, Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic. Disney described this as bringing the company’s entertainment and sports offerings together in one app.[1]
• 24 July 2024: The standalone STAR+ application was discontinued. Corporate reporting subsequently described STAR+ as a former standalone Latin American service merged into Disney+ at the end of June 2024.

As of 2026, STAR+ no longer exists as an independent streaming service.

It is important to distinguish between STAR+ and Star. STAR+ was the standalone Latin American streaming service, whereas Star is Disney’s broader general-entertainment brand and content hub used within Disney+ in many international markets. Before the merger, Disney+ in countries such as Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia already contained a Star section; the Star brand launched internationally as a Disney+ content hub in February 2021.[2]

Following the consolidation, Latin America adopted the same basic model as other international markets:

• Disney
• Pixar
• Marvel
• Star Wars
• National Geographic
• Star
• ESPN

Thus, STAR+ evolved from being its own app into the Star content hub inside Disney+.

STAR+ was strategically important to Disney for several reasons:

1. Expansion beyond family entertainment: It demonstrated Disney’s ability to operate a mainstream general-entertainment streaming service under a different brand, expanding beyond its historical association with children and families.
2. Leveraging the Fox acquisition: Following the acquisition of 21st Century Fox, Star became one of the principal international brands through which Disney could distribute the acquired library of television and film properties.
3. Combining entertainment and sports: Unlike most streaming services focused primarily on movies and television, STAR+ added a substantial live-sports component via ESPN.
4. Localised streaming strategy: Rather than treating Latin America simply as another Disney+ market, Disney built a service specifically around the region’s entertainment and sports consumption patterns.
5. Shaping modern Disney+: The STAR+ experiment contributed to Disney’s decision to make Disney+ itself a much broader entertainment platform in Latin America.

STAR+ was ultimately a Disney property developed within the company’s direct-to-consumer streaming business. Corporate materials describe STAR+ as a Latin American general-entertainment SVOD service that was merged into Disney+ in 2024.[1] The corporate relationship can be simplified as:

The Walt Disney Company → Disney’s streaming / direct-to-consumer business → STAR+ → General entertainment + ESPN + local originals

The service was officially styled ST★R+, using a star symbol between “ST” and “+”. The naming was deliberately connected to Disney’s international Star brand while distinguishing the Latin American standalone service from the Star hub found inside Disney+ elsewhere. The “+” suffix aligned with Disney’s broader naming convention, which includes Disney+ and ESPN+.

The launch and integration dates are documented by Disney’s corporate and Latin American press materials.[1]

Although STAR+ existed for only about three years, it represented an important phase in Disney’s international streaming strategy. Its legacy is summarised by the evolution from separate services to a unified platform:

• Disney+: Family entertainment
• STAR+: General entertainment + mature programming + ESPN
• New Disney+ in Latin America: Disney + Star + ESPN in one service

Current corporate reporting confirms that the separate Disney+ and STAR+ offerings in Latin America were consolidated into a single Disney+ product at the end of June 2024. Consequently, STAR+ is understood as a former Disney streaming service rather than a currently operating standalone platform.[1]

1. DESDE HOY ESTÁ DISPONIBLE EL NUEVO DISNEY+ QUE INCORPORA EL DEPORTE DE ESPN Y EL ENTRETENIMIENTO DE STAR | Prensa Latinoamérica
2. Disney+