Disney+ India launch delayed, Hotstar to announce new release date soon

The Disney+ content was supposed to launch in India through the Hotstar service alongside the Indian Premier League cricket season. But since the season has been delayed, so has the Disney+ roll out.

An introductory page on the Disney Plus website is displayed on a computer screen. (AP)

Earlier this month we saw Disney+ content being available to Indian users via Hotstar. However, that was pulled back within 24 hours and the firm said that the official launch is on March 29. Now, the Disney has confirmed that the rollout is pushed back further and that the revised date will be revealed soon.

Uday Shankar, President - The Walt Disney Company APAC and Chairman, Star & Disney India has said that the Disney+ content was planned to launch in India through the Hotstar service alongside the Indian Premier League cricket season. But since the season has been delayed, so has the Disney+ roll out.

"We recently announced that Disney+ would launch in India through the Hotstar service in conjunction with beginning of the Indian Premier League cricket season. 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+ launched in November last year amid a growing competition in the OTT space dominated by the likes of Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. It had a big start as it raced to 10 million subscribers on the launch day itself. The streaming platform has gradually rolled out to more markets over the last few months.

Based on our early usage, Disney+ content is likely to be available to Hotstar premium customers. Hotstar Premium subscription is available for ₹999 per annum or ₹299 per month.