Hotstar has finally officially announced the upgrade of its website to Disney+ Hotstar in India on April 3.
Earlier in March, a limited release of the beta version of the Disney+ Hotstar app was tested with a small number of consumers, which excited users. But it was ultimately rolled back, and Disney announced that the original launch of the platform that was scheduled on March 29 was also postponed.
But now, with people across the country in lockdown and practising social distancing, Disney+ Hotstar have taken the decision to allow access to Indian users.
Starting April 3, three distinct offerings — Disney+ Hotstar VIP, Disney+ Hotstar Premium and an ad-supported basic tier — will be available for consumers.
What do the subscriptions cost?
Disney+ Hotstar VIP costs Rs 399 per year, and users will have access to the entirety of Marvel offerings like Iron Man and The Avengers movies, as well as Bollywood and regional movies, kids’ entertainment, sporting tournaments, etc.
Disney+ Hotstar Premium costs Rs 1,499 per year, and subscribers will get everything under the VIP plan as well as access to other English language content (apart from Marvel), latest American shows from studios like HBO, Fox, Showtime, and 29 Disney+ originals like The Mandalorian, The World According to Jeff Goldblum , and many others.
Before the official launch, Disney+ Hotstar will host a ‘virtual red carpet event’ on April 2 with the premiere of The Lion King at 6pm and The Mandalorian at 8pm. Celebrities such as Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif are participating in the virtual watch party, along with the likes of Tiger Shroff, Sonam Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Varun Dhawan, Shahid Kapoor, Parineeti Chopra, Rana Duggabatti, Kajal Aggarwal, Rakul Preet and Dulquer Salmaan.
Disney+ Hotstar users will be able to interact on the social feed on the platform during the premiere, and also get a chance to chat with some of their favourite actors as well.
Hrithik Roshan tweeted about the virtual watch party on social media in a video, saying, "This Thursday, the three of us are blocking our seats on the couch to catch the special Red Carpet Premiere of Lion King on Disney+ Hotstar. I'm looking forward to spending more quality time with my kids, while interacting with folks online it's going to be fun."
There is also a separate section for only Disney+ content content on the app, which will navigate titles from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic. Parents can enable a kids-safe mode to ensure age-appropriate content.
All the existing Hotstar subscribers will be automatically upgraded to the new Disney+ plans, according to their current subscription plans — Hotstar VIP subscribers will be upgraded to Disney+ Hotstar and users with Hotstar Premium will be upgraded to Disney+ Hotstar Premium.