MUMBAI: Fresh dates for Disney’s streaming service Disney Plus (Disney+) to arrive in India have been set. Star India on Tuesday announced the upgrade of Hotstar to Disney+ Hotstar on April 3.
With a fresh new look and enhanced user interface, Disney+ Hotstar will bring the magic of Disney’s storytelling and the scale and technological expertise of Hotstar – giving users an enhanced video streaming experience.
With people staying indoors to practise social distancing, Disney+ Hotstar will offer over 250 superhero and animated films, over 100 series including Disney+ Originals and engaging kids’ content, along with latest Bollywood blockbusters and Hotstar Specials.
Users can explore the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe, they can watch the best of superheroes movies like “The Avengers”, “Iron Man”, “Thor Ragnarok” or latest movies including “The Lion King”, “Frozen II”, “Aladdin” and “Toy Story 4”. Families can spend quality time together with characters like Mickey Mouse, Gajju Bhai, Doraemon and Shin-chan.
“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, The Walt Disney Company APAC and chairman, Star & Disney India.
“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,” Shankar added.
Starting April 3, people can pick from three distinct offerings – Disney+ Hotstar VIP, Disney+ Hotstar Premium and an ad-supported basic tier.
The subscribers of Disney+ Hotstar Premium will receive all the benefits of Disney+ Hotstar VIP, with the addition of access to English language content and 29 Disney+ Originals, including “The Mandalorian” from Jon Favreau; “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series”, live-action version of “Lady and the Tramp” as well as the latest American shows from studios like HBO, Fox, Showtime. It will come at the price of Rs 1,499 for a year.
There will be language-based subscription meaning that Disney+ Hotstar VIP subscribers can enjoy content in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.
All existing subscribers will be automatically upgraded to their respective new subscription plan and will be charged the new rates upon renewal.
Exciting New Features
A separate Disney+ branded section will help users navigate the wonderful Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic content available on the service. Subscribers will enjoy the benefits of unlimited downloads of all Disney+ movies and shows, as well as personalized recommendations. Additionally, parents can navigate through the kids-safe mode to access age-appropriate content.
Continued Access to Free Content
Users will continue to enjoy high-quality free content such as daily catch-up TV shows in 8 Indian languages, a vast library of blockbuster movies like Housefull 4, Chhichhore, Badhai Ho, Komali and many more, and LIVE and on-demand news in 8 languages from the leading news channels in the country. Disney+ Hotstar will also have a comprehensive sports clips offering for its free users, covering major sporting events such IPL, BCCI cricket series, Premier League, ISL and PKL, with all the exciting action from the day available as match highlights, key individual performances and match analysis.
Interactive Viewing: Disney+ Hotstar Red Carpet Premiere
As a prelude to the launch, Disney+ Hotstar will host India’s largest virtual red carpet event on 2nd April with the premiere of The Lion King (in English, Hindi, Tamil & Telugu) at 6pm followed by the popular Disney+ original The Mandalorian at 8pm. Helping build a virtual community and conversations in these times of physical and social distancing, users will be able to interact on the social feed on the platform, as these premieres are happening. They can chat with their friends and family, share photos and badges with them and the rest of India, and also interact with some of their favourite celebrities who will be at the red-carpet premiere event with them, all while staying safe at home.
