Many of you guys might have missed this – Hotstar is going to stop streaming content in the U.S. by 2022. This announcement comes 2 months after the announcement of the launch of the largest Indian International OTT platform in the same country – ZEE5. While Hotstar or Disney+ Hotstar (as it is known here) is the most subscribed streaming platform in India, ZEE5 has managed to beat Hotstar in every other market when it comes to providing Indian content outside of India. With Hotstar now effectively dissolved (which we think is thanks to Zee5) in the U.S., what is going to happen to their products and subscription base?
Hotstar is a heavily subscribed streaming platform despite Zee5 dominance, around the globe. One of the reasons for it is for its brilliant Indian content – which contains a lot of old and new Indian films and shows as well as the Hotstar original web series and movies. Another major reason for its high subscription numbers is for the sports – primarily, live cricket. Cricket has a big following around the globe – even in the U.S. and that is not going away any time soon. So while Hotstar might be losing its subscriber base to ZEE5 within the U.S., it still has some valuable content. So Disney decided to take advantage of that.
The process of the removal of subscribers has started today, from September 1st 2021 – with the streaming platform providing three possible options for its current U.S. Subscription base. Option 1 – anyone still subscribed to the platform can cancel their subscription at the end of the month, and the streaming platform will provide a refund for the remaining months. Option 2 – Continue with the current subscription, which will not get renewed by the time that subscription period is complete. Option 3 – Buy The Disney Bundle and view your favourite Hotstar content which will be available for streaming on either Hulu (the Indian content and Hotstar originals) or ESPN Plus (The Hotstar sports section).
ZEE5 is a streaming platform that has a lot of content from the Indian subcontinent. The OTT will attract a lot of Indian, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan subscribers (among others) from the US, much more than Hotstar could, due to its varied content. However, ZEE5 has only Indian content, while Hotstar provides more diverse content including content from all over India and Hollywood, as well as Indian Cricket – the latter of which has a huge following among Indians in the U.S. and Indian Americans.
So, while the first generation Indian Americans and older Indians in the U.S. would prefer a ZEE5 subscription, the younger generation of Indian Americans, young Indians as well as cricket fans will be attracted to the Disney Bundle. For the younger audience, Indian content alone will not be enough to keep them invested with the platform – so quality content from around the world which can be streamed on Hulu and Disney is a definite plus. For now, only time will tell how this move by Disney will pan out.