Disney Plus India Launch will kick-off IPL 2020; Hotstar to become Disney Plus Hotstar

Disney marked their entry into the OTT space by launching Disney Plus in 2019. Recently, it was announced that Disney Plus would soon launch in India piggybacking on Hotstar that was acquired by Disney from Fox. Here is everything to know about the Disney Plus India Launch and Hotstar’s rebranding to Disney Plus Hotstar:

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Disney Plus India launch scheduled for March 29, will launch as Disney Plus Hotstar

Recently, Bob Iger the Chairman and CEO of Hotstar stated that Disney Plus will come to India as an offering by Hotstar, and will be named Disney Plus Hotstar. He also mentioned how they are planning the Disney Plus India launch to kick-off IPL 2020. In a media interaction, Bob Iger revealed how Hotstar that is owned by Star India, which in turn is owned by Disney is setting world streaming records with the newest being the 25.3 million concurrent viewers during the semi-final match of the ICC Cricket World Cup.

Also read: Disney+ In India To Launch On March 29, 2020; Rebranded To 'Disney+ Hotstar'

During his media interaction, Bob Iger also announced their plans of Disney Plus India launch beginning from the Indian Premier League season through their Hotstar service. He also mentioned how Hotstar would be rebranding the existing ‘Premium’ and ‘Vip’ subscription tiers to Disney Plus Hotstar. Bob Iger also said how they plan to use their successful platform as a medium to bring Disney Plus to one of the world’s fastest-growing and largely populated countries.

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Will Disney Plus Shows come to India?

As one might have noticed, Disney Plus will not be launching in India as a separate platform but will be included in Hotstar. According to experts and tech portals, the Hotstar app will be revamped to include all the original Disney Plus shows and movies while providing Hotstar content to the users at the same time. Currently, Hotstar offers the users a content library curated out of HBO, Showtime, Sony Pictures, Marvel Studios, Warner Bros. and Twentieth Century Fox titles. However, with the Disney Plus India launch, Disney aims to make Disney Plus shows available to the Indian audiences as a part of the Disney Plus Hotstar library. Disney Plus shows feature exclusive and original content from Walt Disney Studios, Pixar, Lucasfilm and Marvel Studios.

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Disney Plus subscription cost in India

Although Bob Iger did not explicitly talk about the Disney Plus subscription cost in India and other details, he revealed how they plan on launching two products. The two products from the Disney Plus India launch include a premium product that includes original programming and another one that only focuses on essentials skipping out on original content from Disney Plus shows and movies. According to reports, Hotstar is also expected to increase the charges for their subscription models from ₹ 999 to ₹ 2000 for their premium service; making it the most expensive service. However, as of now, the Disney Plus subscription cost in India has not been revealed by Disney or Star India.

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