Star Chinese Movies
| Broadcast area |
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|---|---|
| Headquarters |
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| Programming | |
| Languages | |
| Picture format | HDTV 1080i (downscaled to 576i for the SDTV feed) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | The Walt Disney Company (Taiwan) Limited |
| Sister channels | Star Chinese Channel |
| History | |
| Launched | 1 May 1994 (Taiwan) 1 June 1996 (Malaysia, Astro; first incarnation) |
| Closed |
|
| Replaced by | Phoenix Movies Channel (Southeast Asia and Mainland China) Catchplay Movie Channel (Taiwan) Astro AEC (Malaysia, Astro) |
| Former names | Star Mandarin Movies (1 May 1994 – 31 March 1996) |
Star Chinese Movies (Chinese: 衛視電影台) was a Chinese-language pay television channel owned by The Walt Disney Company (Taiwan) Limited. The channel mainly broadcast Chinese-language films (including Chinese, Cantonese, Taiwanese, Singaporean, and Malaysian films), as well as bilingual Japanese films, Japanese animations (TV series and theatrical versions), Korean films, Thai films, and digitally restored classic Hong Kong action films. At the time of the channel's expansion into Thailand and Indonesia, its owner, Fox International Channels, claimed that it was the most widely distributed Chinese-language entertainment channel.[1]
History
The channel launched on 1 May 1994 as Star Mandarin Movies, replacing BBC World Service Television.[2] At that time, it screened both Hollywood and Chinese-language films and focused on a pan-Asian audience. It was split into two television channels: Star Movies International (now Fox Movies) and Star Mandarin Movies (now Star Chinese Movies).
The channel's film library during the launch was acquired by Star Chinese Channel, which originally launched in 1991. It shared the Western feed for two years and aired Western movies at various times.
On 1 February 1996, the logo changed from the STAR wordmark to a box-type star logo. It continued to air Western movies (with audio in English, French, or other European languages, but subtitles in Traditional Chinese) until 30 June 1998.
On 31 March 1996, Star Movies split its English and Chinese content. Star Chinese Movies focused on Southeast Asia (including Taiwan), Hong Kong, Macau, and mainland China. It aired in several markets, including on Astro (Malaysia) and SKY PerfecTV! (Japan). It launched in Malaysia on 1 June 1996.
The channel ceased broadcasting across Malaysia on 31 August 1997 at 23:59 Malaysia Time. On 28 August 1998 at 19:00 Hong Kong Time, Star TV split Star Chinese Movies into specific regional feeds, reducing its broadcasting area to just Taiwan. Viewers in Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, Macau, and mainland China were offered Phoenix Movies Channel instead, while Malaysia was offered Astro AEC.
On 1 July 1998, the channel became a purely Chinese-language movie channel, dropping Western movies. On 1 April 1999, the channel underwent its first major logo change from vertical to horizontal, alongside other STAR TV channels.
On 26 September 2003, Star Chinese Movies launched on Now TV in Hong Kong. A similar launch subsequently occurred in Singapore and the Philippines. On the same day, it relaunched localized feeds in Hong Kong and Macau (in Cantonese), Singapore (in Mandarin), Southeast Asia (in Mandarin), and Malaysia (Southeast Asian feed in Cantonese).
On 25 January 2008, a sister channel named Star Chinese Movies 2 was launched;[3] the HD and VOD channels launched a few years later. On 19 May 2012, the channel logo changed from a star to a stylized crown.[4]
On 1 November 2013, the channel expanded to more countries, including Thailand and Indonesia. On 1 September 2014, it launched on HyppTV in Malaysia, returning the channel to the country after 16 years. On 29 April 2017, Star Chinese Movies began providing bilingual services, with most movies broadcast simultaneously in Mandarin and their original language.
The channel also obtained pay TV broadcasting rights for the Hong Kong Film Awards and the Golden Horse Awards for Hong Kong, Macau, and Southeast Asia (except Singapore and Malaysia, where broadcasting rights were sold to local broadcasters).
As Disney—which had previously acquired Fox International Networks—decided to further roll out Disney+ across Asian markets, it decided to cease its pay TV operations, including Star Chinese Movies. The channel ceased operation in Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, and Macau on 1 October 2023, while the Taiwanese feed (alongside its separate HD feed) closed on 1 January 2024.[5] The channel's Taiwanese feed was later replaced by Catchplay Movie Channel following the closure.[6]
Feeds
| Country/Region | Star Chinese Movies | Star Chinese Movies Legend |
|---|---|---|
| Taiwan | 1 May 1994 – 31 December 2023; launched alongside separate Star Chinese Movies HD (星衛HD電影台) | None |
| Hong Kong Macau (localized) |
Star Chinese Movies (衛視電影台)
Phoenix Movies Channel (鳳凰衛視電影台): 28 August 1998 – present |
15 December 2007 – 30 September 2021 |
| Singapore (localized) | ||
| Southeast Asia Myanmar Maldives Thailand Cambodia Laos Vietnam Philippines Indonesia Timor-Leste Papua New Guinea Brunei | ||
| Malaysia (SEA feed; in Cantonese) | ||
| Australia New Zealand |
Australia: 2013–2018 New Zealand: 1 March 2016 – 28 February 2018 |
None |
| United States Canada |
2010–2018 (Titles from SCM Legend lasted until 2013) |
Star Chinese Movies Legend
| Country | Singapore |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area |
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| Programming | |
| Language | Cantonese |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| History | |
| Launched | 15 December 2007 |
| Closed | 1 October 2021 |
| Former names | Star Chinese Movies 2 (2007–2012) |
Star Chinese Movies Legend (Chinese: 衛視卡式台) (also known as SCM Legend) was a sister movie channel of Star Chinese Movies based in Singapore.[7] First launched on 25 January 2008[3] as Star Chinese Movies 2 (Chinese: 衛視電影2台), it was rebranded on 1 October 2012[8] as Star Chinese Movies Legend. The channel broadcast older films from British Hong Kong, specifically those released between 1 January 1970 and 31 December 1992. The 23-year period was officially the main production era covered by STAR TV Filmed Entertainment.
As Disney continued to expand Disney+ across Asian territories, it decided to shut down many of its pay TV channels, including Star Chinese Movies Legend, on 1 October 2021.[9]
References
- ^ Middleton, Richard (1 November 2013). "FIC adds SCM to Thailand, Indonesia". C21Media. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
- ^ "Murdoch's STAR TV to drop BBC". UPI. 22 March 1994. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
- ^ a b "Singapore gets Star treatment". C21Media. 23 January 2008. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
- ^ "Fox International and NBCUniversal rebrand channels in Asia". Campaign Asia. 5 October 2012.
- ^ Frater, Patrick (14 June 2023). "Disney to Close Remaining Linear TV Channels in Southeast Asia and Korea". Variety. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
- ^ "迪士尼撤台！CATCHPLAY接手「邵雨薇床戰鳳小岳」超狂片單全公佈". SET News (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 27 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ "STAR CHINESE MOVIE LEGENDS". Lumbre. Archived from the original on 11 June 2015. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
- ^ "衛視電影2台革新成衛視卡式台" [Star Chinese Movies 2 was transformed into Star Chinese Movies Legend]. Macau Cable TV (in Chinese). 15 October 2012. Archived from the original on 15 October 2012. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
- ^ Multiple sources:
- Frater, Patrick (27 April 2021). "Disney Slashes Linear TV in Asia With 18-Channel Closure, Shifts Focus to Disney Plus". Variety. Archived from the original on 21 September 2021. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
- Kanter, Jake (27 April 2021). "Disney Closes 18 Asia TV Channels As It Shifts Focus To Disney+". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 21 September 2021. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
- Lai, Adrian (29 April 2021). "Disney To Shut Down 18 Channels In Southeast Asia". IGN. Archived from the original on 21 September 2021. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
External links
- STAR Chinese Movies Taiwan (in Chinese)
- STAR Chinese Movies HD Taiwan (in Chinese)
- STAR Chinese Movies Hong Kong
- STAR Chinese Movies Hong Kong (at Now TV)