The Disney Plus streaming service will launch in Singapore in an exclusive arrangement with local cable provider StarHub.
The Feb. 23, 2021 launch, previously teased by Disney management in December, will come some eight months after rival providers StarHub and SingTel ended their carriage deal for Disney’s linear channels package in the city-state.
The Disney Plus offering in Singapore will kick off with over 500 films and 15,000 episodes of content from six Disney brands: Marvel, Disney, Star Wars, National Geographic, Pixar and Star. It will also be available via TV, mobile and broadband. Pricing terms and package deals were not disclosed.
“We are excited to be the first and only fully-integrated quad-play service provider to raise the entertainment bar for our customers with Disney+, home to some of the most recognizable cultural brands in the world today,” said Johan Buse, StarHub’s chief of consumer business group. “With the growing ubiquity of ultra-responsive 5G, our customers will be able to experience true mobility and freedom, enjoying the freshest entertainment at the highest quality anytime, anywhere and on any screen.” StarHub claims that 70% of the the country’s population now has access to 5G mobile service.
Back in June last year StarHub and Singtel’s cable TV service both dropped Disney Channel, Disney XD, Disney Junior, and Go Disney after failing to agree carriage terms. The looming rollout of Disney Plus was almost certainly a factor that weighed on the negotiations.
“We worked hard to come to a fair agreement, and despite their decision, we will continue efforts to make our content available in Singapore,” Disney said at the time.
Disney Plus was launched in North America, The Netherlands, Australia and New Zealand in November 2019, with subsequent rollout in parts of Europe in March 2020, India in April and Indonesia in September last year.
At an investors day presentation in December 2020, Disney reported that the service had grown to 86.8 million paying subscribers. It also announced further expansion of the integrated Disney Plus / Star package in Singapore from February 2021, followed by Eastern Europe, Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea later in the year.