OTT streaming platform Hotstar has been rebranded to Disney+ Hotstar a few weeks ahead of the former’s scheduled launch in India. The streaming service has also updated its yellow logo to a royal blue and white design. Since the acquisition of 21st Century Fox last year, Disney now owns Star India and its properties including Hotstar in India. Unlike select markets like the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, Disney+ exclusive content is available through Hotstar in the country. Hotstar users can get the new interface and content by updating the app from the Play Store on Android and App Store on iOS devices.
Hotstar’s changelog on Google Play stores states that “This launch is one of our biggest yet! We are very proud to bring you the worlds best stories from the best storytellers at Disney, Marvel, Pixar, Star Wars and Nat Geo. Check out all the stories under the Disney+ tab. And we’ve dubbed the best of them in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu,”
Original Disney+ content including ‘The Mandalorian’, ‘Diary of a Future President’, ‘Encore’, ‘The World According to Jeff Goldblum’ and more are now live on the streaming platform. There is also a new ‘Channels’ tab that includes content from Disney, Marvel, Pixar, Star Wars and National Geography.
Existing Hotstar subscribers can access Disney+ content without incurring any additional costs. Currently, the streaming platform offers two plans, Premium and VIP. The former is priced at Rs 999 annually or Rs 299 monthly while the latter costs Rs 365 annually. Majority of Disney+ content is available in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu languages. However, the content in the English language is only available for Hotstar Prime members and not VIP subscribers. These content are available across website, mobile, tablet, and TV.
The streaming service is expected to introduce originals from Marvel and Star Wars franchise like WandaVision, Loki, and more in coming days. One can expect a wider catalogue of Disney-owned movies, TV shows and original content on the platform. As of now, the Premium plan, which has a sticker price of Rs 2,500 but is being made available at Rs 999 for new users will get hiked. According to some reports, new users who wish to subscribe to Premium will have to shell out around Rs 3,588 annually, however, the company has not officially revealed the pricing yet.