Hotstar signs exclusive content deal with Disney India

In a bid a stay competitive in the growing content streaming market of India, Star India has signed a multi-year exclusive partnership with Disney India to showcase the studio’s biggest hits on the premium version of its video streaming service Hotstar Premium.

As per the deal, Hotstar premium subscribers will now have access to movies like Lucasfilm Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Disney’s The Jungle Book and Moana, Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War and Doctor Strange, Disney.Pixar’s Finding Dory amongst others.

The other popular movies and classics on offer from Disney's library will include Disney Pixar’s Ratatouille, Brave, Toy Story 3; Disney’s The Lion King, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest as well as popular US TV series from ABC Studios such as Castle and Desperate Housewives, the company said.

According to Star India, these titles will be available via the Disney, Marvel and ABC Studios branded sections on Hotstar. “Over the last 6 months, we have established Premium as an exciting new service for an Indian audience that is interested in international stories. The deal with Disney is in line with our strategy of bringing the best of new shows and movies from around the world to our Premium subscribers," said Hotstar CEO Ajit Mohan.

Hotstar now has crossed more than 140 million downloads to date. According to the third party tracking provider App Annie, that tracks app usage of video streaming platforms, more than 50 million users used the service in India in the month of December.

“Our movies have met with much success in theatres this year. This deal is important for us as it enables us to offer our movies across Disney, Marvel, Star Wars and Pixar brands and our ABC Studios’ TV shows to our audience wherever they are. Hotstar Premium is an ideal home for our content and it gives subscribers across the country, the chance to revisit their loved stories,” said Amrita Pandey, Vice President, Studios, Disney India.