Star Plus (the spelling preferred by the channel is StarPlus, in camel case) is a Hindi GEC (a term used in India to denote a general entertainment channel); it has been so since July 2000. It is the flagship channel of the Star TV network and one of the most-watched TV channels in India, as well as the most popular pay-TV channel across all languages. From its launch in 1991 until 1996, it was an English GEC, after which Star World took up that role. The channel would later air both Hindi and English programming from April 1996 to June 2000.
Star Plus was first launched on 15 December 1991 as Star Entertainment. It was launched as an English-language TV channel. It was part of the STAR TV package of channels that also consisted of Zee TV, Prime Sports, BBC WSTV, Chinese Channel and MTV Asia.
Star Plus[]
1992–1993[]
Designer:
Unknown
Typography:
Unknown
Launched:
February 21, 1992
On 21 February 1992, Star Entertainment changed its name to Star Plus in India. This change was also seen in the Asian variant on 1 July 1992.
1993–1996[]
Designer:
Unknown
Typography:
Optima
Launched:
1993
In 1993, Star Plus changed its colours from green and purple to yellow and orange, removed the word Star (only for it to return in 1996) and added two overlapping, interlocking stars. The wordmark consisted of simply the word PLUS in the Optima font.
1996–1998[]
Designer:
Unknown
Typography:
Unknown
Launched:
March 30, 1996
A fresh look for the STAR TV Network was introduced on 30 March 1996. All STAR channels adopted logos with a rotating star and a square.
Zee ended its partnership with Star on 31 March 1996, paving the way for the latter to integrate Hindi programming into Star Plus, making it a mixed Hindi-English GEC on next day.
This logo was still used as a secondary logo until 1998.
1999–2001[]
On 1 March 1999, the vertical rectangles were converted into horizontal ones.
On 1 July 2000, the channel became a full Hindi GEC.
2001–2010[]
Designer:
Unknown
Typography:
Trade Gothic Condensed
Launched:
April 1, 2001
This is the longest-lived logo in the history of the channel. It was introduced in 2001, some months after Star Plus was repositioned from an English GEC to a Hindi GEC in 2000. A slightly different logo was used in the United States, which read Star India Plus and was like this logo used by Star Gold in the United States at the time.
2010 (HD)[]
Designer:
Unknown
Typography:
Trade Gothic Condensed
Launched:
November 1, 2010
Around late October 2010, when Tata Sky was a joint venture between the TATA Group and Star Group, the Star Group announced that Star Plus HD would be launched within the next six months. Following this, Tata Sky added a new channel to their platform on November 1, 2010, using Star Plus’s corporate branding and logo with the wordmark “HD”. This channel was not a true HD channel; rather, it was a placeholder that mirrored everything broadcasted on the standard Star Plus channel.
Customised version of Amelia Basic (logo) Fedra Sans Alternate (on-air graphics)
Launched:
June 14, 2010
On 14 June 2010, during the Star Parivaar Awards, Star Plus introduced a new logo, the Ruby Star, and a new graphics package and slogan: Rishta Wahi, Soch Nayi (Same Relationship, New Thinking). This was the first rebrand in nine years. It was the first channel to drop the old Star logo icon, and replace with a more vibrant one before the official rebrand of Star which took place in 2011, with the same design scheme.
The new look was created by the London-based design agency venturethree, which also designed the graphics for fellow Hindi GEC Life OK (now Star Bharat) in 2011, and Bengali GEC Star Jalsha’s Diamond Star graphics in 2012 (inspired by Star Plus’s Ruby Star).
Fedra Sans Alternate was introduced as the on-screen typeface of the channel and was later extended to Star Jalsha in 2012 and Marathi GEC Star Pravah in 2014.
2010-2011 (HD)[]
BETTER LOGO NEEDED
Designer:
Unknown
Typography:
Customised version of Amelia Basic (logo) Fedra Sans Alternate (on-air graphics)
Launched:
November 11, 2010
On 11 November 2010, the logo used by Tata Sky for Star Plus HD channel in their pamphlets was changed to match the Ruby Star. This channel was still not a true HD channel and it still remained as a placeholder, that mirrored everything broadcasted on the standard Star Plus channel.
Customised version of Amelia Basic (logo) Fedra Sans Alternate (on-air graphics)
Launched:
April 15, 2011
Star Plus's true HD feed was officially launched on 15 April 2011 along with Star Gold, Star World and Star Movies. It was the first native (non-international) HD channel to be launched in India. It was also the first Hindi GEC HD channel. These channels, along with National Geographic Channel HD (which had been launched in 2010), were branded by the Star network as Asli HD (real HD) channels, as they were among the first HD channels in India.
Customised version of Ubuntu (logo) Fedra Sans Alternate (on-air graphics)
Launched:
November 7, 2016
A fresh look was introduced on 7 November 2016. The tagline was shortened to simply Nayi Soch (New Thinking), and the channel now referred to itself in all-uppercase (i.e., STAR PLUS rather than Star Plus). In this period Star Plus's brand positioning was heavily focused on female empowerment, and the female protagonists of its shows featured in its break bumpers.
However, this women-oriented look was short-lived, and was done away with in May 2018. As in 2010, the rebrand was done by Venturethree, with Fedra Sans Alternate continuing as the corporate typeface.
2018–present (India, MENA and APAC), 2018–2021 (UK and Europe)[]
Designer:
Sparkt
Typography:
Foco (logo) Kohinoor Latin and Devanagari (on-air graphics)
Launched:
May 27, 2018
Another new look and graphics package was introduced on the final of Season 11 of the Indian Premier League, on 27 May 2018 (the channel was an official sponsor of the IPL that year). The tagline was revised to Rishta Wahi, Baat Nayi (Same Relationship, New Conversations), and the channel now writes its name in camel case (StarPlus). Though no specific credit was given for the motion graphics, the new brand identity was conceptualized by Sparkt, an Indian branding agency.
The logo’s red colour was retained, but the new graphics package, consisting of squares tilted at a 45° angle, is predominantly white with accents of red and gold. The on-screen typeface changed from Fedra Sans Alternate to Kohinoor, though Foco is used in the logo (as well as the logos of Star Maa and Star Suvarna since late 2020).
Footnote[]
Following the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s changes in TV channel packaging and pricing in 2018–2019, Star Plus has become the most-watched Hindi pay-tv channel, but it falls short of free-to-air channels such as Dangal, which is owned by a small broadcaster and yet has more viewers due to its presence on the government’s DD Free Dish platform.[1][2][3]
Disney manages film catalog created for ABC; remainder of library controlled by Bristol-Myers Squibb.
2
Disney manages certain film and television rights, rest of the Saban catalog is currently owned by Hasbro with several titles licensed in Japan to Toei Company.
