With Disney phasing out Star brand; Star TV likely to revert Utsav back to Star in UK
Disney is gradually retiring the Star brand across its international portfolio, with sweeping changes set to take effect in 2026. The Star hub on Disney+, currently available in various global markets, will be replaced by a Hulu-branded hub, aligning the platform more closely with Disney’s domestic streaming strategy in the United States.
In addition, the Star-branded television channels, such as Star Crime, Star Life, Star Comedy and Star Action, which had previously replaced the Fox channels across South America, Europe and Africa, are expected to transition to the FX brand in 2026. FX, known for its edgy and critically acclaimed content, will serve as the new umbrella for much of Disney’s adult-oriented programming.
The only notable exception at present is Star Channel in Spain and select other European territories, which have yet to confirm their rebranding plans. However, with Hulu’s global rollout on Disney+ imminent, it is widely anticipated that these remaining Star-branded entities will follow suit.
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In the UK, Fox was never rebranded as Star, but its content was absorbed into the Star hub on Disney+. The Indian television network Star TV, previously fully owned by Disney—played a key role in shaping the UK channel portfolio. As a result of Disney’s ownership, the UK versions of Star TV’s Indian channels were rebranded under the “Utsav” prefix (Utsav Plus, Utsav Gold, and Utsav Bharat), dropping the “Star” name to avoid confusion with Disney’s American Star-branded content. The Star TV portfolio is now owned by JioStar.
With the Star hub now set to be phased out from Disney+ in the UK, questions have arisen about the future of the Utsav-branded channels. Could this shift open the door for them to revert to their original Indian branding and align more closely with their counterparts in India? While no official announcements have been made, the possibility remains intriguing.
