Disney+ was originally set to launch in India via Hotstar on March 29 but is now officially launching on April 3. The information comes from Hotstar's Twitter account. The Tweet reads, “This is not a drill! The biggest Super Heroes, magical stories for everyone, exclusive Disney+ Originals and all that you've been waiting for are (finally) landing on Disney+ Hotstar. 3rd April. Really.” The subscription fee for the service will go up from Rs 999 per annum to Rs 1499 per annum. Hopefully, we will get to see a bump in the streaming quality as well, but that is something we will know when the service is publicly available. Those that are interested in checking out the service should know that as part of the Disney+ Hotstar Premiere experience, The Lion King will premier at 6:00 PM IST today and the Mandalorian will premiere at 8:00 PM IST today (April 2) ahead of the official launch of the service.
There is a more affordable plan priced at Rs 399. This plan will include movies from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) along with live sporting events and a catalog of movies and shows along with Hotstar originals. The 399 plan will not include Disney+ Originals. The Rs 1499 plan, however, will offer customers content from partners including HBO, Fox, and Showtime. So if you are one that likes watching shows like Game of Thrones, True Detective and more, then the Rs 1499 plan is the one for you to consider.
Disney+ Hotstar was expected to launch in India on March 29, but it looks like this was delayed due to the Coronavirus outbreak. We still aren't sure about whether the service will finally start streaming in 4K and HDR or whether it will give users the option of profiles or increase the number of simultaneous streams. We will get you the answers to all these questions soon.
In the meantime, know that the Amazon Prime subscription costs Rs 999 per annum, giving you access to Prime Videos, Prime Music and Even Prime Delivery. Netflix has a bunch of plans ranging from the mobile-only Rs 199 per month plan all the way up to Rs 799 per month, giving you access to 4 simultaneous playbacks and quality up to 4K and HDR. You can read more about Netflix’s subscriptions here.