Hotstar is ready to bring Disney+ to India. Disney+ which was originally slated to launch in India on March 29, will finally arrive in India on April 3. As expected, Hotstar is revising its price tiers, albeit only slightly, in India to make way for Disney+ content. While Disney+ Hotstar Premium subscription will cost Rs 1,499 a year (up from Rs 999), Disney+ Hotstar VIP plan will be available for Rs 399 (up from Rs 365) a year. Hotstar will continue to offer an ad-supported basic tier as before.
If you’re an existing Hotstar Premium or VIP subscriber, you’ll be automatically ‘upgraded’ to Disney+ Hotstar Premium or Disney+ Hotstar VIP plan. The balance will be charged at the time of your next renewal.
Disney+ was supposed to go live in India in conjunction with the beginning of the IPL 2020, but since the IPL was postponed due to coronavirus, Hotstar decided to postpone their launch as well.
Prior to this, Hotstar had tested the service with a limited beta release wherein Hotstar Premium (and VIP) users could access ‘all’ Disney+ content in India ‘briefly’ at no extra cost.
Hotstar had been silently updating its app and logo ahead of Disney+ India launch and both the things were updated briefly during the beta test. Hotstar had rebranded the app as Disney+ Hotstar – with Disney+ content resting inside a separate tab in the Hotstar app for both iOS and Android. The content layout was reminiscent of the original service that has been available in the US since November last year. The final version should look similar.
With the streaming service officially arriving in India on April 3, all Hotstar Premium and VIP users will be able to access all Disney+ content including a back catalogue of popular Disney films and cartoons (especially from the 90s) plus an exhaustive collection of originals including the critically acclaimed The Mandalorian. Content will be available from across hallmark Disney, Pixar, Marvel and National Geographic – in addition to content from the Star Wars franchise. Content will be available in core English as well as in local languages like Hindi, Tamil and Telugu – although this may not be true for every content.
