Broadcast area | Middle East and North Africa Southeast Asia and Hong Kong (1991–2017) India and South Asia (2000–2023) Taiwan (2001–2020, 2022–2023) |
---|---|
Programming | |
Language(s) | English |
Ownership | |
Owner | The Walt Disney Company EMEA (Disney Entertainment) |
History | |
Launched |
|
Replaced | Fox Taiwan (relaunch) |
Closed |
|
Replaced by | Fox Life BBC Lifestyle (Taiwan) |
Former names | Star Entertainment (1991–1992) Star Plus (1992–1996) |
Star World (formerly known as Star Entertainment and Star Plus, visually rendered in its current logo in all capital letters) is an English language entertainment television channel originally launched on 15 December 1991 by Star TV in Hong Kong as the old iteration of Star Plus. Originally available in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong, as well as India and South Asia, since 2024 it is only available in the Middle East and North Africa after the closure of the Indian and Taiwanese feeds.
On 30 March 1996, the channel was split into two, when the former became Star World in East and Southeast Asia part of STAR TV's rebranding, and the latter retained the Star Plus name in India and the Middle East. However, after Star (subsequently acquired by News Corporation) ended its partnership with Zee TV on 30 June 2000, Star Plus was transformed into a Hindi-language channel on 1 July 2000, with Star World being already introduced in the region as an English entertainment replacement.
The channel's programming line-up mostly consists of entertainment television programmes from the United States, the United Kingdom and sometimes Australia and New Zealand to appeal to English-speaking locals. [1]
Star World was first launched on 15 December 1991 as Star Entertainment with the first programme being The Bold and the Beautiful .[ citation needed ] The channel was an 24-hour English language general entertainment channel showed dramas, movie and variety shows from the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand with Zee TV being the Hindi language general entertainment channel counterpart. The channel was broadcast across the continent of Asia, reaching from the Far East to the Middle East, as with AsiaSat 1's footprint. Star TV have since regionalised the channel to serve its huge viewerships. On 1 July 1992, Star Entertainment was renamed Star Plus.
Star Entertainment was also backed by two major Hollywood conglomerate film studios and television production companies including 20th Century Studios (formerly 20th Century Fox) and 20th Television (formerly 20th Century Fox Television).
On 1 May 1994, All movies that were backed by one major Hollywood conglomerate film studio, 20th Century Studios (formerly 20th Century Fox) were moved from Star Plus to Star Movies due to Star Movies' launch. Star Plus continue to be an English language general entertainment channel.
On 30 March 1996, the channel changed its logo from a previous logo used in 1993 to a box-type STAR symbol featuring a frame, a pentagram star, and a square. At the same time, STAR TV split Star Plus' beam into two, providing two separate services for different regional audiences within STAR TV's footprint. This enabled the channel to provide appropriate programming and viewing time for viewers from different Asian regions. Star Plus would serve viewers in India and the Middle East from then on, while the new Star World channel welcomed those in East and Southeast Asia. Star TV converted Star Plus into Hindi entertainment channel with some English content programming. Earlier, STAR TV had a joint venture with Zee Telefilms, uplinking Hindi channel Zee TV from Hong Kong. But that partnership with that channel ended on 30 June 2000, resulted from the new Star World channel as an English entertainment replacement on 1 July 2000 for India and the Middle East.
On 1 April 1999, Star World, Star Movies, Star Sports, Star Gold, Star Plus, and SCM would receive their first major logo change as part of STAR TV's brand refresh.
On 1 October 2017, the Hong Kong and Southeast Asian version of Star World was rebranded to Fox Life, [2] and shut down after exactly four years, on 1 October 2021. [3]
On 1 February 2020, the Taiwanese feed closed and some programs were moved to Fox. On 1 January 2022, Star World replaced the Taiwanese feed of Fox, marking the return of the Star World brand in Taiwan. Disney, which had previously brought FOX International Networks, decided to launch Disney+ in more Asian markets, and decided to discontinue pay TV broadcasting, including Star World in Taiwan. The channel ceased for the second time on 1 January 2024, [4] [5] with BBC Lifestyle as its replacement. [6]
On 15 March 2023, the Indian version of Star World in both SD and HD feeds, as well as Star World Premiere HD, ceased broadcasting along with the launches and shutdowns of several other channels from Disney Star. [7] As a result, Star World remains on air only in the Middle East and North Africa.
On 1 March 2024, Star World MENA underwent a rebranding and introduced a new logo and graphics package, along with five other Disney-operated channels in the region, many of which abandoned the Fox brand; moreover, its sister channel Star Movies shed its 2009 logo (still used in India) and introduced a new logo. [8]
Disney Networks Group Asia Pacific was a Hong Kong-based commercial broadcasting company operating multiple specialty television channels. The company was founded in 1991 by Hong Kong businessman Richard Li.
StarPlus is an Indian Hindi-language general entertainment pay television channel operated by Disney Star, a subsidiary of Disney India. Its programming consists of family dramas, comedies, youth-oriented reality shows, shows on crime, and television films.
Channel [V] is a Chinese and former Asian pay television musical network originally launched by Star TV Hong Kong. It was part of the unit of Disney International Operations, and was launched in September 1991 to replace the first incarnation of MTV's Asian operation before it was shut down on October 1, 2021.
Star Movies is an Asian-based pay television channel owned by Disney Entertainment. Star Movies was originally launched in 1994 as a single channel broadcast across Asia, but it has regionalized into different localized channels since then. Fox Networks Group Asia Pacific have since rebranded some of the network's international feeds in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia as Fox Movies, but retains the Star Movies brand in the Middle East & South Asia.
Star Chinese Channel was a Taiwanese general entertainment television channel operated by The Walt Disney Company (Taiwan) Ltd. Its programming features drama, variety, lifestyle, and talk shows in Mandarin. Launched on 21 October 1991 at 16:30 Hong Kong Time by its predecessor Star TV, the channel originally targeted audiences in Greater China broadcasting in both Mandarin and Cantonese, before it reduced broadcasting area to just Taiwan and began broadcasting only in Mandarin on 30 March 1996. Both Star Chinese Channel, along with its sister channel Star Entertainment Channel, closing down on January 1, 2024, as Disney further enrolled Disney+ streaming platform.
Star Chinese Movies was a Chinese language pay television channel owned by Disney Networks Group Pacific Ltd. It featured Chinese films.
Animax is an Asian pay television channel owned by KC Global Media Asia. The channel was originally owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, and took its name from the Japanese satellite TV network; which was then-majority owned by subsidiary Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan. The channel would be sold to its current owners on January 1, 2020.
Disney Channel is a former pan-Asian pay television kids channel owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company Southeast Asia.
National Geographic Wild is a global pay television network owned by National Geographic Partners, a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company (73%) and the National Geographic Society (27%). The channel primarily focuses on wildlife and natural history non-fiction programming. It is a sister network to National Geographic TV.
BBC Lifestyle is an international television channel wholly owned by BBC Studios. The channel provides six programming strands: Food, Home & Design, Fashion & Style, Health, Parenting, and Personal Development.
BabyTV is a multilingual, international television channel for babies, toddlers and preschoolers aged 3 or lower. The channel is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company Limited, the international division of The Walt Disney Company and is headquartered in London with television distribution handled by Disney subsidiaries across the world. The channel first launched in 2003 in Israel and in 2005 in the United Kingdom. BabyTV is distributed in over 100 countries, broadcasting in 18 languages. The channel broadcasts shows without television commercial interruptions. In the United States, the channel is distributed by Disney General Entertainment Content.
National Geographic is a pan-Asian subscription television channel owned by Disney Networks Group Asia Pacific. The channel featured non-fiction, factual programming involving nature, science, culture and history, produced by the National Geographic Society, just like History and Discovery Channel.
FX was an Asian pay-television entertainment channel, owned and operated by Fox Networks Group Asia Pacific, a subsidiary of Disney International Operations. It was launched on November 3, 2008.
Fox was a pan-Asian pay television channel, owned and operated by Fox Networks Group Asia Pacific, a subsidiary of Disney International Operations.
Disney Star is an Indian media conglomerate owned by Disney India, which is the Indian regional subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. Headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra, Disney Star runs more than 70 television channels in eight languages, reaching out to 9 out of 10 cable and satellite television homes in India. The network reaches approximately 790 million viewers a month across India and more than 100 countries. Disney Star generates more than 30,000 hours of content every year. Disney Star is the largest television and entertainment network in India.
Fox Movies was a Southeast Asian movie network owned by Fox Networks Group Asia Pacific, subsidiaries of International Operations unit of The Walt Disney Company.
Fox Sports Asia was a pan-Asian pay television network broadcasting in Asia, operated by Fox Networks Group Asia Pacific, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company Pte. Ltd. It also oversaw a version of Star Sports available in Mainland China and South Korea. Originally launched in early 1990s as Star Sports and ESPN by Satellite Television Asian Region and ESPN International respectively, both parties agreed to combine their operations in Asia in October 1996. News Corporation took the full control of the venture in 2012, and relaunched the channels in two phases in January 2013 and August 2014, respectively.
Star Sports Network is a group of Indian pay television sports channels owned by Disney Star, a subsidiary of Disney India, the channel currently holds rights of flagship tournaments like Indian Premier League, ICC Events, Premier League, ONE Championship, Wimbledon etc.
Fox Life, now rebranded as Star Life and FX Life, was an international pay television network, launched by the Fox Networks Group in 2004. The network has been discontinued in several markets over time, and is currently active in the Middle East, Portugal, the Baltic states, the CIS, Malta, and India.