Disney's New Streaming Star Just Might Outshine Netflix

Walt Disney Co. let the world know Thursday that it understands fans — and even shareholders — want it to dramatically step up its streaming game and add more grown-up programs to its kid-safe library. The company already has drawn almost 87 million subscribers to its namesake app, but Disney+ and other new streaming-video services still face the test of whether their offerings are complete enough for Netflix devotees to make the switch. For the first time, the answer for many may soon be “yes.” And Star, an as yet little-known Indian TV brand, is set to play a pivotal role in reaching Disney’s new awe-inspiring projection of at least 300 million total streaming subscribers globally within three years.

In a virtual investor presentation on Thursday, Star was front and center alongside Disney+, a clear signal that the company is looking to take on Netflix Inc. and AT&T Inc.’s HBO Max more directly and around the globe. Disney inherited Star from its $85 billion acquisition of 21st Century Fox in 2019, though the asset was overshadowed at the time by other properties more familiar to U.S. investors, such as Fox’s “X-Men” franchise and “The Simpsons.” Now, Star is the star of Disney’s streaming efforts outside the U.S., with the company launching a general-entertainment service under that name next year that will feature more adult programming, filling in obvious holes left by Disney+. Rather symbolically, Hulu, another Disney unit that caters to adults in the U.S., was bumped to the side of the screen in front of which CEO Bob Chapek and other executives took turns standing to unveil the plans: