Now 15% of Disney+ subscribers come from India

After the collaboration of Disney with Hotstar in India, the total user base has significantly increased. The recent development which accounts for the major boost is the direct digital release of Bollywood movies on Disney Plus Hotstar. New Indian Movie Premieres is the latest addition on Disney+Hotstar due to the ongoing restrictions on public gathering and closure of movie theatres.

The digital release of Movies has been accepted very well by the masses, as unlike the pre-internet era, now most of them have Smart TVs, Laptops, or at least Smartphones and tablets to consume digital content. Apart from this, the cheapest mobile data across the world has allowed Indians to consume much more online content.

Also, the Disney+ Hotstar VIP yearly plan which allows users to see the New Indian Movie Premieres is just Rs399. And top of that, operators like Jio Bundles the Rs 401 plan which gives unlimited voice data and 3GB data per day along with a free “Disney+Hotstar VIP membership”.

“Disney+'s overall ARPU (average revenue per user) this quarter was $4.62. However, excluding Disney+ Hotstar, it was $5.31. At Star, higher results reflect lower programming costs, partially offset by lower advertising revenue," said Christine McCarthy, senior executive vice-president, and chief financial officer, the Walt Disney Co.

McCarthy also accepts that the loss cricket streaming has impacted the overall revenue but it is expected to change soon as the Indian Premier League (IPL) is scheduled to commence in September in the UAE.