After a slight delay, Disney+ is now set to launch in India on April 3. The streaming service was supposed to launch on March 29 in collaboration with Hotstar, an Indian streaming service. The launch was to coincide with the start of the Indian Premiere League (IPL) cricket tournament — a huge audience puller for the service. However, the season was postponed due to Covid-19 concerns and affected the launch of Disney+ as well.
Now, with a new launch date set, Disney+ Hotstar is ready for takeoff. According to Variety, the service will launch in India with two tiers: Disney+ VIP and Disney+ Premium. Disney+ VIP members will have access to the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe, Bollywood films, Hotstar originals, unlimited live sports and Star TV serials for INR 399 ($5.30) a year. Disney+ Premium subscribers on the other hand, get access to all the content Disney+ VIP members get, along with 29 Disney+ originals — including “The Mandalorian” — as well as US shows from HBO, Showtime and Fox.
“With the success of Hotstar, we ushered in a new era for premium video streaming in India. 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,” said Uday Shankar, president of The Walt Disney Company APAC and chairman, Star & Disney India, in a statement.
News of Disney+ Hotstar’s launch was first announced in February by Disney’s then CEO Bob Iger. In commemoration of the launch, Disney+ is slated to host a virtual premiere of “The Lion King” on Thursday, April 2, followed by “The Mandalorian,” Variety stated.