Disney Plus makes early debut in India through Hotstar

The Walt Disney Company, earlier in the year, announced to launch its multimedia streaming service Disney Plus in India in late March 29.

But, to everyone's surprise, Disney Plus channel is already live on Hotstar, almost three weeks ahead of scheduled launch in India. The app name is now changed to Disney+Hotstar and is available on all platforms-- Google Play for Android, Apple App Store for iPhone/iPad/Mac, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Android TV and also on web for PCs.

Indian Hotstar subscribers can update their application to see the new logo with Disney+Hotstar and they need not have to pay any extra payment to access Disney-exclusive content.

The Disney+ Hotstar Premium subscription is available in the same monthly and yearly options before the integration. Users can choose between Rs 299 per month or Rs 999 per year. Also, there is another VIP plan for India and costs Rs 365 per annum.

However, the Hotstar has announced that this is an early beta version and is available for select people in India. It will be formally made available to all on March 29.

"A limited release of the beta version of the Disney+ Hotstar app is currently being tested with a small number of consumers, in preparation for the full-fledged app launch on 29th March," Hotstar spokesperson said to DH.

Disney+Hotstar app for Android devices (Credit: Google Play store)

Besides the exclusive Indian Premier League cricket matches streaming rights and age-appropriate Disney movies for children, Disney+Hotstar will offer content from HBO, Showtime, and ABC in India. It is certain to give a good challenge to established players such as Amazon Prime Video, Netflix and others.

In a related development, Hotstar is collaborating with Xiaomi India to introducing a one-stop destination to view Cricket, Kabbadi, Formula 1, Tennis, Football, Hockey and other popular sports tournaments on the Mi TV.

Hotstart-powered sports channel on PatchWall 3.0 for Mi LED smart TVs (Credit: Xiaomi)

Once updated to the new update to the PatchWall 3.0, Mi TV owners will be able to find the Hotstar-powered Sports channel and start watching IPL 2020 cricket matches with just one click on the PatchWall home screen. FYI: IPL 2020 is slated to kick off on March 29 and go on till May 24.

Read more | PatchWall 3.0: Xiaomi has big surprise in store for Mi LED smart TV users ahead of IPL 2020

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