THE streaming wars saw a new front open late last month with Disney+ rolling out ‘Star’ in the UK and other key markets – a brand-new channel stuffed full of a variety of classic TV series and films. 

Bundling together a wide variety of old and new content from the likes of Disney Television Studios, 20th Century Studios, FX and 20th Television seems like a canny move by ‘the Mouse House’, which has been dogged by accusations of being largely for kids since its launch.

Even as it diversified the channels and content available under the broad Disney umbrella – and what an enviable back catalogue of content from the likes of Disney itself, Pixar and others it’s offered – the platform was never able to fully clap back at detractors and its chief rival, the all-conquering Netflix, until recently.

The addition of Star promises a significant range of programming that’s often a million miles away from what you’d associate with Disney branding – anyone for cosying up with Borat, or Die Hard, or Buffy the Vampire Slayer? – but which significantly broadens the appeal and reach of the overall Disney+ brand, as well as seeing it attempt to entice in more mature viewers.

It’s a move that’s bound to make arch rivals Netflix sit up and take notice, while Disney’s pricing model – staying at just £5.99 per month for six months for existing customers before February 23, or £7.99 for new customers – will also likely appeal to many more, given the sudden addition of a lot of new initially available content, with more on the way.

The move won’t appeal to everyone. There’ll be plenty of people who’ll likely already feel as though they’re one-and-done, and don’t have any interest in sitting through the likes of TV series such as Desperate Housewives, Alias, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Glee, Grey’s Anatomy, Lost (especially Lost), Modern Family, The X-Files, Ugly Betty et al, all over again, let alone its range of incoming films.

However, the move ups the ante significantly in the streaming wars, with any such competition between the main players to be welcomed by consumers.

After all, whether you watch Disney or Netflix, or their rivals, such clashes and skirmishes between the streaming titans ultimately collectively forces them all to up their game, improve their programming offers, and to also diversify content away from the ‘safe’ old standards.

It’s difficult, but not impossible, to contemplate how Netflix will be challenged by this move by one of its chief rivals, given its cultural dominance on a global scale, coupled with seemingly bottomless pockets and cashflow to commission new shows.

However, Netflix’s global reach and control of contemporary viewing habits for many people, particularly for anyone aged under 40, is also a weakness – the screened-off content available in Netflix’s various markets varies significantly, with UK Disney viewers now being offered a plethora of content that’s not available on UK Netflix, from an arch rival.

With viewers of traditional ‘relic’ television continuing to haemorrhage away towards online streaming platforms instead, Disney’s bold move to grab viewers, while undercutting a chief rival, will be much like all the main streaming platforms themselves: interesting to watch.