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Disney+ Hotstar

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Disney+ Hotstar
Screenshot
Screenshot of the Disney+ Hotstar homepage on 3 October 2020
Type of site
OTT video streaming platform
List of languages
Country of origin
  • India
Area served
OwnerNovi Digital Entertainment (Disney Star)
PresidentSunil Rayan
ParentDisney Media and Entertainment Distribution
URLTBA
RegistrationRequired[lower-alpha 1]
UsersIncrease 50.1 million (paid; as of 1 May 2022)[1]
300 million active users (May 2020)[2]
Launched
  • 11 February 2015 (2015-02-11) (as Hotstar)
  • April 2020 (as Disney+ Hotstar)
Current statusActive

Disney+ Hotstar (also known as Hotstar[lower-alpha 2]) is an Indian brand of subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Novi Digital Entertainment of Disney Star and operated by Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution, both divisions of The Walt Disney Company.

The brand was first introduced as Hotstar for a streaming service carrying content from Disney Star's local networks, including films, television series, live sports, and original programming, as well as featuring content licensed from third-parties such as HBO and Showtime among others. Amid the significant growth of mobile broadband in India, Hotstar quickly became the dominant streaming service in the country.

Following the acquisition of Star India's parent company 21st Century Fox by Disney in 2019, Hotstar was integrated with the company's new global streaming brand Disney+ as 'Disney+ Hotstar' in April 2020. The co-branded service added Disney+ original programming, and films and television series from its main content brands of Walt Disney Studios, Pixar, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, and National Geographic alongside the domestic and third-party content already carried on the platform.

Outside of India, the Disney+ Hotstar service also operates in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand, which similarly combines entertainment content licensed from local, third-party studios, with the larger Disney+ library. Disney+ Hotstar is also expected to launch in the Philippines and Vietnam in the end of 2022. In Singapore, Canada, and the United Kingdom, Hotstar operates as a streaming service targeting overseas Indians, focusing on Disney Star's domestic entertainment and sports content; Disney+ operates as a standalone service in these markets. In 2021, Disney announced that it would discontinue the U.S. version of Hotstar in November 2021, in favor of adding its content to the domestic Hulu and ESPN+ services instead.

History[]

Hotstar logo

First Hotstar logo from 2015 until 2020.

TBA

Acquisition by Disney, integration with Disney+[]

TBA

Content[]

Template:Further information

Disney+ Hotstar's content library draws from Star India's television networks, including its entertainment networks and Star Sports.[3][4][5] Imported content is drawn primarily from Walt Disney Studios and Walt Disney Television, and includes Disney+ original programming and the core Disney+ libraries of Disney (including Pixar), Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm (including the Star Wars franchises), and National Geographic.[6][7] It also holds licensing agreements with other third-party content providers,[3][4][5] such as streaming rights to first-run and library programming from HBO.[8]

In July 2017, Hotstar gained domestic streaming rights to first-run and library programming from Showtime.[9] Rights to new Showtime content later moved to Viacom18's Voot (a sister of Showtime via parent company Paramount Global).[10] In October 2018, Hotstar partnered with Hooq to offer its content on its premium service, including rights to films and series from its co-owners Sony Pictures and Warner Bros., as well as its other content partners.[11] The partnership ended following Hooq's liquidation in April 2020.[12]

Some early original content on the service included the news comedy program On Air With AIB, and CinePlay. In March 2019, the service launched a new premium original content brand, Hotstar Specials, with the first production being Roar of the Lion—a docudrama miniseries chronicling the Chennai Super Kings in the 2018 Indian Premier League. Hotstar stated that these series would be at least six episodes in length, be available in seven regional languages (Bengali, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil, and Telugu)[13] and focus on providing "big-scale, high-quality drama". Hotstar partnered with a large number of Indian filmmakers to produce series for the brand.[14][15][16]

In June 2020, Hotstar announced that it would begin to offer direct-to-streaming premieres of Indian films under the "Disney+ Hotstar Multiplex" banner due to COVID-19-related cinema closures, beginning with Fox Star Studios' Dil Bechara on 24 July 2020, followed by The Big Bull, Lootcase, Khuda Haafiz, Laxmii, Bhuj: The Pride of India, Sadak 2, and Mookuthi Amman.[17]

Device support and service features[]

Hotstar is available for streaming via supported web browsers, smartphones and tablet computers, as well as apps on digital media players and smart TVs.

Hotstar allows users to stream on up to four devices concurrently depending on plan, and downloads for offline viewing depending on individual content licenses. Most content is able to be streamed in resolutions up to 1080p. In April 2020, Hotstar started rolling out Dolby Digital 5.1 sound on Android TV, Apple TV, Fire TV, Fire HD, and Roku,[18] and later 4K with HDR in August 2020, initially for Apple TV and Android TV devices.[19]

In India, the service was previously offered with "VIP" and "Premium" subscription tiers, which were differentiated by their content libraries (with the Premium tier featuring more premium international series and films). In September 2021, Hotstar introduced a new plan structure based on device support and concurrent streams (more akin to that of Netflix), with "Mobile" allowing a single stream on a mobile device only, "Super" allowing streams on up to two devices simultaneously, and "Premium" allowing streaming on up to four devices simultaneously, and with 4K support. Under the new plan structure, the same content library became available to all Disney+ Hotstar subscribers regardless of tier.[20][21]

Availability[]

North America and the United Kingdom[]

On 4 September 2017, Star Sports acquired the entirety of the media rights to the Indian Premier League, with Hotstar acting as the international digital rightsholder. Hotstar launched an international subscription service in Canada and the United States, aimed towards providing its domestic Indian content and sports.[22][23] Hotstar launched in the United Kingdom on 13 September 2018, to coincide with the 2018 Asia Cup.[24]

On 4 January 2019, Star discontinued their international linear pay television channels in the United States (such as StarPlus), pivoting its focus in the region to Hotstar.[25] On 31 August 2021, Disney announced that it would, in turn, discontinue Hotstar in the United States, in favour of hosting its sports and entertainment content on ESPN+ and Hulu respectively beginning 1 September. Annual subscribers who had not yet subscribed to Disney's streaming services were provided with an offer to receive the Disney+/ESPN+/Hulu bundle at no cost for the remainder of their Hotstar subscription period.[26] The shutdown was later scheduled for 30 November 2021.[27]

Asia[]

TBA

Censorship[]

The HBO series Last Week Tonight faced several instances of censorship on Hotstar since the purchase of the service by Disney; two episodes were edited to remove jokes referencing Disney characters, including a November 2019 episode on the US census relating to a PSA featuring Mickey Mouse (where Oliver claimed the character was a "crack addict"; a scene was also cropped to obscure a graphic relating to the joke),[28] and a remark about Donald Duck's penis being "shaped like a corkscrew" during an episode discussing China's one-child policy.[29][30] In February 2020, Hotstar refused to carry an episode that contained segments critical of Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, which had alleged that his policy of Hindu nationalism was a growing threat to democracy in India.[31][32][33]

The programme's host John Oliver addressed all three instances of censorship by Hotstar in the 8 March 2020 episode. He placed a larger emphasis on the censorship of Disney references, however (alluding to his role of Zazu in Disney's 2019 CGI remake of The Lion King), jokingly arguing that he resented the censorship of his "factually accurate" Donald Duck joke more than the Modi episode being pulled.[29][30]

The service was highly criticised and ridiculed upon its launch in Thailand for the censorship and editing of Disney content, where violent and/or suggestive scenes were cut out or blurred, with a majority of titles being cropped to fit 16:9 widescreen televisions and/or also sped up to 25 frames per second (PAL).[34] On 14 July 2021, during a live podcast hosted by Thai news reporter Jomquan Laopetch, Disney Southeast Asia and Thailand general manager, direct-to-consumer Winradit Kolasastraseni stated that he was aware of the issues and admitted they were the QC team's fault; the service has been replacing censored/edited video files with their original cuts since then.[35]

In the premiere of Ms. Marvel, the streaming launch of Disney+ Hotstar were not available in Pakistan on 16 June 2022.

See also[]

  • Star, a similar streaming brand used by Disney for general entertainment content in other markets, which is offered within the Disney+ infrastructure.
  • Star+, a sister streaming service using a similar brand owned and operated by Disney for general entertainment content in Latin America markets.

Notes[]

  1. ↑ Optional in India, but member subscription is required to access additional content.
  2. ↑ in Singapore, Canada, and the United Kingdom

References[]

  1. ↑ [TBA Q2 - FY 22 Earning Report].
  2. ↑ [TBA Disney+ Hotstar has about 8 million subscribers] (9 April 2020).
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.[TBA "Hotstar Rs 365 VIP subscription: What is it, what does it offer and everything you need to know"] Check |url= value (help). India Today. Ist. Retrieved 13 May 2019. Check |archive-url= value (help)
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 [TBA Should You Subscribe to Hotstar VIP or Hotstar Premium Ahead of IPL 2019?] (22 March 2019).
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Laghate, Gaurav (20 March 2019). [TBA "Hotstar launches new subscription pack ahead of IPL"] Check |url= value (help). The Economic Times. Retrieved 13 May 2019. Check |archive-url= value (help)
  6. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named :1
  7. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named :5
  8. ↑ [TBA Fox's Star India Strikes Exclusive Deal for HBO Originals] (2 December 2015).
  9. ↑ Choudhary, Vidhi (12 July 2017). [TBA Hotstar to stream shows from CBS's Showtime].
  10. ↑ [TBA Viacom18 launches subscription-based video streaming service 'Voot Select' – ET BrandEquity].
  11. ↑ Frater, Patrick (8 October 2018). [TBA HOOQ Massively Expands India Reach With Hotstar Partnership (EXCLUSIVE)].
  12. ↑ [TBA Indian Arrowverse Fans Left in the Dark as Hooq Shuts Down]. NDTV (30 April 2020).
  13. ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Laghate, Gaurav (15 January 2019). [TBA "Hotstar to invest Rs 120 crore in generating original content"] Check |url= value (help). The Economic Times. Retrieved 13 May 2019. Check |archive-url= value (help)
  14. ↑ [TBA MS Dhoni bared his soul in Roar of the Lion: Kabir Khan] (12 March 2019).
  15. ↑ [TBA MS Dhoni to feature in Hotstar's docu-drama Roar of the Lion] (5 March 2019).
  16. ↑ Ramachandran, Naman (14 January 2019). [TBA Hotstar, Fox's Indian Streaming Service, Moves Into Original Content With Big-Name Talent].
  17. ↑ www.ETBrandEquity.com. [TBA Disney+ Hotstar launches Multiplex, to directly release Bollywood films – ET BrandEquity].
  18. ↑ Arora, Akhil (3 April 2020). [TBA Disney+ Hotstar Rolls Out 5.1 Surround Sound, Starting With The Mandalorian]. NDTV.
  19. ↑ [TBA Disney+ Hotstar Rolls Out 4K HDR Support on Android TV, Apple TV]. NDTV (5 August 2020).
  20. ↑ Arora, Akhil (27 July 2021). [TBA Disney+ Hotstar Unveils New Rs. 499 Mobile, Rs. 899 Super, and Rs. 1,499 Premium Plans]. NDTV.
  21. ↑ [TBA Disney+ Hotstar launches 3 new plans, price starts from Rs 499] (en) (5 August 2021).
  22. ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.[TBA "Star India bags IPL media rights for next 5 years"] Check |url= value (help). The Economic Times. 4 September 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
  23. ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.[TBA "Hotstar Launches Its Premium Service in US and Canada"] Check |url= value (help). Gadgets 360. NDTV. Retrieved 13 May 2019. Check |archive-url= value (help)
  24. ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.[TBA "Star India's Hotstar launches in United Kingdom"] Check |url= value (help). The Economic Times. Retrieved 13 May 2019. Check |archive-url= value (help)
  25. ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Baddhan, Raj (7 December 2018). [TBA "Star TV to shutdown television operations in USA"] Check |url= value (help). BizAsia. Retrieved 11 August 2019. Check |archive-url= value (help)
  26. ↑ Lattanzio, Ryan (31 August 2021). [TBA Disney to Phase Out Hotstar U.S. Streaming Service, Fold Programming Into Hulu and ESPN Plus] (en).
  27. ↑ [TBA Hotstar will be discontinued in the US on November 30] (17 November 2021).
  28. ↑ [TBA Hotstar Censors Disney Jokes in Last Week Tonight with John Oliver].
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 [TBA John Oliver slams Disney for censoring his show in India].
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 [TBA John Oliver Slams Disney-Owned Streamer for Censoring 'Last Week Tonight' Jokes About Disney] (8 March 2020).
  31. ↑ [TBA Disney India Blocks John Oliver Show Critical of Narendra Modi].
  32. ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.[TBA "Hotstar blocks John Oliver's 'Last Week Tonight' episode criticising Narendra Modi"] Check |url= value (help). The Hindu. 26 February 2020. Retrieved 26 February 2020. Check |archive-url= value (help)
  33. ↑ [TBA Disney India blocks John Oliver's show critical of Narendra Modi] (26 February 2020).
  34. ↑ เหมียวนานะ (2 July 2021). [TBA ชาวเน็ตบ่นอุบ หลังพบ Disney+ Hotstar ตัดฉากรุนแรง ฉากทางเพศออก จนเสียอรรถรส] (th).
  35. ↑ Jomquan (14 July 2021). [TBA มาเถอะจะคุยI EP.19 "เมื่อโควิดมาถึงจุดนี้ เอาผิดรัฐบาลได้ไหม?" | จอมขวัญ] (th).

External links[]

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