Disney Plus dedicates space for grown-ups

Disney Plus is introducing viewers to its older sibling: a new streaming hub named Star.

After establishing itself as the family-friendly home to Disney, Pixar and Marvel movies, the Disney Plus platform is opening the gates to a dedicated space for more grown-up tastes.

Within its existing platform, more than 150 TV series and 500 movies will be available to Canadians on Star’s Tuesday launch date. But some buzzy titles from Disney-owned U.S. streaming platform Hulu are still missing, and you can’t subscribe to Star without being signed up for Disney Plus.

It’s part of a move by Disney to raise monthly fees for all users while presenting them with more programming from ABC television, 20th Century Studios and the FX channel.

Monthly rates will jump from $8.99 to $11.99 for Canadian subscribers who sign up starting Tuesday, while the price increase will take effect for existing monthly and annual fee subscribers after Aug. 22.

However, as per usual, an array of complicated rights deals with Canadian broadcasters and streaming companies mean that many other Disneyowned shows and movies won’t be on the platform.

Some of the biggest FX titles, notably “American Horror Story” and “Pose,” are part of an ongoing licensing deal with the FX Canada channel, owned by the media division of Rogers Communications Inc.

Greg Mason, vice president of marketing at Walt Disney Studios Canada, said the goal is to raise Star’s movie selection to 800 titles by the end of the year.