Disney Plus Hotstar has gone live in India. Its entry is a bit late as the launch was delayed due to the COVID-19 outbreak in the country and across the globe. However, the company hosted a virtual Red Carpet event that kicked off the launch with The Lion King and The Mandalorian premieres.
Disney Plus Hotstar brings over 7,000 episodes of popular and classic TV shows along with 500 films from the house of Disney, Pixar, Marvel Studios, Star Wars, and National Geographic. Hotstar's catalog previously consisted of over 4,000 titles in addition to exclusive sports streaming. With the new additions, it's only going to pose a threat to key players such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video along with Indian OTT services like ALTBalaji, Zee5, among others.
Subscription plans pricing
While you can get free access to Disney Plus content on Hotstar if you are an existing subscriber, new users are in for a hike in the subscription plans. There's a basic plan that's ad-supported, followed by Disney+ Hotstar VIP plan at Rs 399/annually and Disney+ Hotstar Premium at Rs 1,499/annually.
Earlier, the Hotstar VIP plan was priced at Rs 365/year, while the Premium plan could be subscribed at Rs 999/year. The new subscription plans are live and if you are an existing subscriber, you will have to pay according to the new plans upon renewal.
Unveiling the service, Uday Shankar, President of The Walt Disney Company APAC and Chairman, Star & Disney India, said, "Today, as we unveil Disney+ Hotstar, we take yet another momentous step in staying committed to our promise of delivering high-quality impactful stories for India that have not only entertained but also made a difference in people’s lives, a promise that is even more meaningful in challenging times such as this. We hope the power of Disney’s storytelling, delivered through Hotstar’s technology, will help our viewers find moments of comfort, happiness, and inspiration during these difficult times.”
Disney Plus was announced back in November 2019, and it has amassed more than 28 million subscribers since. With more original programming and superhero movies set to debut soon, the service looks to enchant the Indian audience with shows like The Mandalorian, Encore!, The Imagineering Story, The World According to Jeff Goldblum, to name a few.
Some of the upcoming shows, such as The Falcon and Winter Soldier, Wandavision, and Loki will tie-in with other Marvel Studios properties, including films, and will drive the MCU Phase Four forward.
That said, everyone's focus is to get over the pandemic that's gripped many countries and economies at large. As a result, most of the production for these upcoming shows have been stalled, and so it could be a while before we get to watch some of the most anticipated Disney Plus original programming. Until then, there are plenty of shows and films to get you through the lockdown.
