The Disney Plus streaming service will launch later this month in Singapore with the promise of large volumes of new content.
Details of the Feb. 23 launch and upcoming programming were announced Tuesday from hybrid broadcast studios at the Marina Bay Sands resort. The event combined presenters and a few dozen journalists present in person and correctly socially-distanced, along with others dialing in from remote locations.
Disney Plus will be available in Singapore via Smart TVs, mobile and broadband and integrated through a partnership with mobile phones and media provider StarHub. Subscriptions are priced at S$11.98 ($9.00) per month.
At launch, the service is set to include 500 films and 15,000 episodes sourced from the Marvel, Disney, Star Wars, National Geographic and Pixar studios. Star, which incorporates film and TV content from Disney Television Studios, Touchstone, FX, 20th Century Studios and 20th Television, was described as the platform’s “sixth brand.” These are to be supplemented by ambitious slates of additional films and TV shows.
Speaking on a live video link, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige was among the presenters. In response to a media question, he said “you won’t have to wait very long” before the studio incorporates a South East Asian superhero.
Marvel Studios alone will deliver series including “Loki,” “What If,” “Hawkeye,” “Marvel Studio Legends,” “Moonknight,” and “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” over the coming year.
Disney producer Osnat Shurer, also speaking remotely, confirmed that Asian-themed animated movie “Raya And The Last Dragon” will launch on the service on March 5, the same date that the film becomes available in local theaters.
Other Disney animation shows coming to the platform include “Sister Act 3,” “Baymax,” “Peter Pan & Wendy,” and “Tiana.”
New series from Pixar are set to include “SparkShorts,” “Inside Pixar,” “Pixar Popcorn,” “Dug Days,” “Cars” and Pixar’s first long-form series “Win or Lose.”
New National Geographic-branded series include “The Right Stuff” and “Gordon Ramsay Uncharted,” which sees the eponymous celebrity chef travel to remote locations including Morocco and Laos.
“The Mandalorian” will headline the new “Star Wars” offerings. Other Star Wars-Lucasfilm shows will include “Rangers of the New Republic,” “Andor” and “The Bad Batch.”
The presentation repeatedly described Singapore as the first country in the world to launch as a service with all six brands including Star. Back in December, at an investor presentation, Disney said that Star will also launch in Europe, Canada, Australia and New Zealand on the same Feb. 23, 2021 date. However, in those territories Star is an add-on to an already operational Disney Plus service.
Given Singapore’s conservative social culture and Disney’s own stance as a family-friendly brand, the presentation included a video explainer that emphasized parental controls, age-appropriate content and positive opt-ins. Star’s series lineup is set to include: “Gray’s Anatomy,” “X Files,” “Criminal Minds,” “Prison Break” and “Lost.”