Disney+‘s Spanish content head has addressed the fast-approaching international rebrand of Star to Hulu, while calling for “respect” of local theatrical windows.
Sofía Fábregas, VP of Original Production at Disney+ Spain, told a packed audience at the Iberseries & Platino Industria conference to be ready for the Hulu switch, which is due to take place on October 8 in all territories outside the U.S., marking a major rebranding exercise.
“Many of you know Star well,” she began as she addressed producers. If they had concerns their Star original titles might lose prominence following the rebrand, “That’s not the reality,” she said. “Everything that was Star becomes Hulu, and Hulu is now one of our five brands.”
Fábregas didn’t provide details on what Disney+ Spain might look to do with the new tile, but Disney has previously said the move is part of a plan to turn Hulu into a “global general entertainment brand.” In the U.S., the Hulu brand will eventually be wound down, though it is expected to remain as a standalone app through 2026.
The Disney exec also addressed “respecting” local windows, saying she would look to release 3-4 titles locally in cinemas each year before they transfer to Disney+. Windowing for both platforms in this way, she said, “is not incompatible.”
Disney+ has to date released original series such as daily soap Return to Las Sabinas, high fashion dramas series Cristóbal Balenciaga and Invisible, and Fabregás said the streamer was open for co-production business in future, as budgets becoming trickier to compile.
Disney+ recently welcomed ITV exec Angela Jain as its new Head of Content, EMEA. Its Spanish arm recently struck a deal with broadcaster Atresmedia to carry an annual 300 hours of the latter’s content. Fabregás predicted the deal would be a success for both sides.