Disney+ Hotstar garners 8 mn paid subscribers within 1 week of India launch

Disney+ Hotstar had a virtual red carpet launch in India on April 3, 2020 amid the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown. In the period of one week since its India launch, the OTT service has already a garnered approximately 8 million paid subscribers. 

Globally, Disney+ has seen 50 million paid subscribers within five months after its US launch. The service is now available in more than a dozen countries around the world. 

In the past two weeks, Disney+ rolled out in eight Western European counties, including the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria, and Switzerland. Additionally, Disney+ became available last week in India, where it is offered in conjunction with the existing Hotstar service. 

In a statement issued, Kevin Mayer, Chairman of Walt Disney Direct-to-Consumer & International, said, “We’re truly humbled that Disney+ is resonating with millions around the globe, and believe this bodes well for our continued expansion throughout Western Europe and into Japan and all of Latin America later this year.” 

He further said, “Great storytelling inspires and uplifts, and we are in the fortunate position of being able to deliver a vast array of great entertainment rooted in joy and optimism on Disney+.” 

As reported earlier, Disney+ Hotstar service was initially slated to launch in India in conjunction with the beginning of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020. In light of the COVID-19 crisis, BCCI decided to postpone the 2020 edition of IPL. In a statement issued, Uday Shankar, President - The Walt Disney Company APAC and Chairman, Star & Disney India, had said, “Given the delay of the season, we have made the decision to briefly pause the roll-out of Disney+ and will announce a new revised premiere date for the service soon.” 

Disney+ Hotstar launched with the premieres of ‘The Lion King’ and ‘The Mandalorian’. Disney+ Hotstar Premium is being offered at an annual subscription of Rs 1,499. 

Disney+ Hotstar is an online video streaming platform owned by Novi Digital Entertainment, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Star India. Disney+ Hotstar currently offers over 100,000 hours of TV content and movies across 9 languages, and every major sport covered live. Globally, Disney+ is part of Disney’s Direct-to-Consumer and International (DTCI) segment.