Discussion Disney+ Hotstar App & Website - News & Updates

[dino29]

Marvel content has become stale. Hotstar Originals aren't appealing. The only premium content worth watching are live sporting events. It's Premier League and ICC cricket bringing in viewers. The closest popular content they got in months is the Hindi version of Salaar. One thing that can help hotstar is putting reality shows like Big Boss under paywall. It can sell small time plans and charging Android TV users to stream free content will backfire specially when it's sister platform JioCinema and rivals like Sony Liv are free.

Buddy there is an audience for every type of content, u and i may not like most of the hindi daily soaps but many do so it helps OTT platforms attract that audience segment and same goes for other genres....also what is important is not having highest number of subscribers but being able to be profitable in the business being run. Also Hotstar Originals r quite popular, in 2022 and 2023 lot of Top OTT shows included these

Also Netflix, Amazon Prime Video r solely focused on their OTT business and not in broadcast TV space so they will have a separate strategy as compared to Disney-Star which will work on a plan so that all audience segments can be best catered to across both these platforms in most efficient + effective manner.

Also what content is kept Free or under Paywall for Mobile and Connected TV audience will differ depending on what is the best way to reach out to target audience and what revenue model is best suited for that medium/audience base.....for example keeping India Cricket or ICC World Cup matches free on mobile streaming helps expand mass audience base thereby help garner more ad revenue but thru Connected TV there is scope to keep it under Paywall (as most people watching content thru this medium can afford to subscribe to affordable OTT plans) and still manage to attract concerned viewer base complimenting it with ad revenue thereby managing to attain a balance between investment incurred and returns.

Soon more of content from Hulu will be available on Disney+Hotstar which alongwith the current line up of content which help cater to all types of audience in even better manner.

Lastly as far as i remember CEO of Amazon had said sometime back that his aim is not to run Prime Video to gain profits but rather have it as an add on to its E-Commerce business to attract more people towards this core business so as per my understanding Amazon Prime Video seems to be more flexible in still being satisfied even with average returns or some loss but maybe as in India even E-Commerce business is tough to deliver profits hence they too maybe cautious to over spend in OTT business.....anyways still even Prime Video and Netflix have launched mobile plans + adopting Freeumium business model in a gradual manner across different regions so as to scale up subscriber base + revenues as cost incurred in making original shows + acquiring other content is quite high.

 

[iDJ]

Buddy there is an audience for every type of content, u and i may not like most of the hindi daily soaps but many do so it helps OTT platforms attract that audience segment and same goes for other genres....also what is important is not having highest number of subscribers but being able to be profitable in the business being run. Also Hotstar Originals r quite popular, in 2022 and 2023 lot of Top OTT shows included these

Also Netflix, Amazon Prime Video r solely focused on their OTT business and not in broadcast TV space so they will have a separate strategy as compared to Disney-Star which will work on a plan so that all audience segments can be best catered to across both these platforms in most efficient + effective manner.

Also what content is kept Free or under Paywall for Mobile and Connected TV audience will differ depending on what is the best way to reach out to target audience and what revenue model is best suited for that medium/audience base.....for example keeping India Cricket or ICC World Cup matches free on mobile streaming helps expand mass audience base thereby help garner more ad revenue but thru Connected TV there is scope to keep it under Paywall (as most people watching content thru this medium can afford to subscribe to affordable OTT plans) and still manage to attract concerned viewer base complimenting it with ad revenue thereby managing to attain a balance between investment incurred and returns.

Soon more of content from Hulu will be available on Disney+Hotstar which alongwith the current line up of content which help cater to all types of audience in even better manner.

Lastly as far as i remember CEO of Amazon had said sometime back that his aim is not to run Prime Video to gain profits but rather have it as an add on to its E-Commerce business to attract more people towards this core business so as per my understanding Amazon Prime Video seems to be more flexible in still being satisfied even with average returns or some loss but maybe as in India even E-Commerce business is tough to deliver profits hence they too maybe cautious to over spend in OTT business.....anyways still even Prime Video and Netflix have launched mobile plans + adopting Freeumium business model in a gradual manner across different regions so as to scale up subscriber base + revenues as cost incurred in making original shows + acquiring other content is quite high.

At first Hotstar Original is watched by people who already has a subscription. No one specifically buys a subscription to watch that. Supposedly, they bought hotstar for cricket and they own no other subscription. Just watch on social media. How much non PR engagement their content gets on sites like facebook and twitter? How many memes have you seen of a Hotstar show? How many characters can people even identify?

In that way Hotstar is a seperate business too. They don't bundle it with their tv channels. They sell it as a seperate subscription. They need appealing content to attract users just like Amazon and Netflix.

They can't have the cake and eat it too. During, IPL they were telling nothing is free. And posting ads about how much data it was consumed to watch free IPL. They just ripped off the freemium model from Jio. Initial years of Hotstar they also offered IPL free before relying on operators like Airtel and Jio. Smart TV users are cost conscious as well. They got rid of cable to save ₹200 a month. You think they would pay to watch free content on TV? These streaming platforms apart from Netflix and Amazon are at mercy of broadband providers. As soon as they starts dropping the bundles. They will be merged into one or shut down.

Hulu is Hulu. How many famous Hulu originals are there? Their business model is to stream highlights of linear tv content. FX is more appealing.

Lastly I remember some Hotstar executive saying cricket is their bread and butter. If that was the case why they couldn't break even after having one of the most streaming sporting event in the world even before Hotstar's inception until 2021. They also had BCCI and ICC rights at the same. FYI, Amazon's is serious about streaming. It is equally important to them as other their other businesses. They have OTT plans catering to mobile users which only carries streaming. Also a Mini TV for free tier users.

 

[dino29]

At first Hotstar Original is watched by people who already has a subscription. No one specifically buys a subscription to watch that. Supposedly, they bought hotstar for cricket and they own no other subscription. Just watch on social media. How much non PR engagement their content gets on sites like facebook and twitter? How many memes have you seen of a Hotstar show? How many characters can people even identify?

In that way Hotstar is a seperate business too. They don't bundle it with their tv channels. They sell it as a seperate subscription. They need appealing content to attract users just like Amazon and Netflix.

They can't have the cake and eat it too. During, IPL they were telling nothing is free. And posting ads about how much data it was consumed to watch free IPL. They just ripped off the freemium model from Jio. Initial years of Hotstar they also offered IPL free before relying on operators like Airtel and Jio. Smart TV users are cost conscious as well. They got rid of cable to save ₹200 a month. You think they would pay to watch free content on TV? These streaming platforms apart from Netflix and Amazon are at mercy of broadband providers. As soon as they starts dropping the bundles. They will be merged into one or shut down.

Hulu is Hulu. How many famous Hulu originals are there? Their business model is to stream highlights of linear tv content. FX is more appealing.

Lastly I remember some Hotstar executive saying cricket is their bread and butter. If that was the case why they couldn't break even after having one of the most streaming sporting event in the world even before Hotstar's inception until 2021. They also had BCCI and ICC rights at the same. FYI, Amazon's is serious about streaming. It is equally important to them as other their other businesses. They have OTT plans catering to mobile users which only carries streaming. Also a Mini TV for free tier users.

Buddy 1stly where did i said that Hotstar Originals r available for free viewing? I just stated that these r popular in India and in last few months some have been made available for Free too, obviously one cannot compare its popularity with Netflix or Amazon Prime Video original shows/series as they r made on much larger canvas so as to appeal to a wider global audience, also quite true that there would be minute audience base who would opt for Disney+Hotstar subscription just to watch Hotstar Originals but they help provide more content to those joining the platform for watching other content....... Yes it is true Netflix or Amazon Prime Video shows enjoy more popularity among premium audience but again u r drawing a wrong comparison as Disney worldwide and in India too operates TV+OTT+Movie Production business so they are catering to a wider audience base thus not necessarily putting all its resources in making very high budget OTT content, also particularly Netflix has had an approach of making such big budget shows and have more costlier subscription plans thus for long term had a smaller audience base but now they r trying to expand viewer base by launching less costlier mobile plans + freemium model though for limited content + getting more mass appealing content onboard their platform and Amazon Prime Video again as i said balances content which is appealing to both mass + niche audience keeping pricing affordable thereby earning revenue thru getting higher volume of subscribers rather than being reliant on more ARPU....lastly as i have said Prime Video acts more as an complimentary offering to its E-Commerce customers so that more people use the latter hence OTT is not their main part of revenue ecosystem


Buddy by saying separate business i meant that Netflix, Amazon Prime Video r only operating in OTT space while Disney has operations both in TV + OTT space hence accordingly there r different strategies required to effectively reach concerned audience in both cases.


Also buddy u r again getting confused as far as adoption of different strategy for Mobile and Connected TV customers is concerned , as i have explained earlier that for each type of genre/content companies decide upon best way to monetize it thru each medium used to reach out to audience....u cannot expect an affordable mobile streaming plan to provide same features and cost same as a regular OTT plan which can be used to watch content on any device be it Connected TV, Mobile etc. hence when freemmium model is adopted companies decide as to how they can maximise revenue for such content on both mediums and hence say they know most mobile streaming customers would have limited budgets to spend on OTT subscription hence Free Access can widen reach which can help earn more ad revenue while Large Part of Connected TV audience base can afford to pay some amount for same content as company is offering enhanced viewing experience to them.....so essentially u need to view this with a more broader outlook and yes people r price conscious hence for each segment strategy is decided accordingly


Cricket Rights and even generally acquiring other sports rights have become very costly so obviously broadcasters, OTT platforms find it difficult to recover investment....India Cricket, IPL, ICC events do help bring subscribers onboard but again at very low priced subscription plans + ad revenues not being sufficient it becomes difficult to run a sustainable business, even for other premium sports people r unwilling to pay more for subscription plans unlike in foreign countries where watching/opting for any sports content / channel costs a lot hence broadcasters/platforms earn good revenues but in India that is difficult hence u will see more companies being cautious and balancing buying sports rights which r financially viable and choose what is needed for their TV or OTT platforms

 

[piinku1]

Without India cricket and icc rights, one can do very well like Sony
So disney will make 50%loss from icc and ipl rights

 

[iDJ]

Buddy 1stly where did i said that Hotstar Originals r available for free viewing? I just stated that these r popular in India and in last few months some have been made available for Free too, obviously one cannot compare its popularity with Netflix or Amazon Prime Video original shows/series as they r made on much larger canvas so as to appeal to a wider global audience, also quite true that there would be minute audience base who would opt for Disney+Hotstar subscription just to watch Hotstar Originals but they help provide more content to those joining the platform for watching other content....... Yes it is true Netflix or Amazon Prime Video shows enjoy more popularity among premium audience but again u r drawing a wrong comparison as Disney worldwide and in India too operates TV+OTT+Movie Production business so they are catering to a wider audience base thus not necessarily putting all its resources in making very high budget OTT content, also particularly Netflix has had an approach of making such big budget shows and have more costlier subscription plans thus for long term had a smaller audience base but now they r trying to expand viewer base by launching less costlier mobile plans + freemium model though for limited content + getting more mass appealing content onboard their platform and Amazon Prime Video again as i said balances content which is appealing to both mass + niche audience keeping pricing affordable thereby earning revenue thru getting higher volume of subscribers rather than being reliant on more ARPU....lastly as i have said Prime Video acts more as an complimentary offering to its E-Commerce customers so that more people use the latter hence OTT is not their main part of revenue ecosystem


Buddy by saying separate business i meant that Netflix, Amazon Prime Video r only operating in OTT space while Disney has operations both in TV + OTT space hence accordingly there r different strategies required to effectively reach concerned audience in both cases.


Also buddy u r again getting confused as far as adoption of different strategy for Mobile and Connected TV customers is concerned , as i have explained earlier that for each type of genre/content companies decide upon best way to monetize it thru each medium used to reach out to audience....u cannot expect an affordable mobile streaming plan to provide same features and cost same as a regular OTT plan which can be used to watch content on any device be it Connected TV, Mobile etc. hence when freemmium model is adopted companies decide as to how they can maximise revenue for such content on both mediums and hence say they know most mobile streaming customers would have limited budgets to spend on OTT subscription hence Free Access can widen reach which can help earn more ad revenue while Large Part of Connected TV audience base can afford to pay some amount for same content as company is offering enhanced viewing experience to them.....so essentially u need to view this with a more broader outlook and yes people r price conscious hence for each segment strategy is decided accordingly


Cricket Rights and even generally acquiring other sports rights have become very costly so obviously broadcasters, OTT platforms find it difficult to recover investment....India Cricket, IPL, ICC events do help bring subscribers onboard but again at very low priced subscription plans + ad revenues not being sufficient it becomes difficult to run a sustainable business, even for other premium sports people r unwilling to pay more for subscription plans unlike in foreign countries where watching/opting for any sports content / channel costs a lot hence broadcasters/platforms earn good revenues but in India that is difficult hence u will see more companies being cautious and balancing buying sports rights which r financially viable and choose what is needed for their TV or OTT platformsy

I can counter all your points. Thing is by the time I read half your post. I become very tired. If you could reply with one paragraph at a time. We can have a discussion.

 

[Ashok Varma]

Without India cricket and icc rights, one can do very well like Sony
So disney will m50%loss from icc and ipl rights

Now Sony is the last position in Indian media industry, even regional tv networks can do better business than Sony.

 

[greylala91]

Buddy 1stly where did i said that Hotstar Originals r available for free viewing? I just stated that these r popular in India and in last few months some have been made available for Free too, obviously one cannot compare its popularity with Netflix or Amazon Prime Video original shows/series as they r made on much larger canvas so as to appeal to a wider global audience, also quite true that there would be minute audience base who would opt for Disney+Hotstar subscription just to watch Hotstar Originals but they help provide more content to those joining the platform for watching other content....... Yes it is true Netflix or Amazon Prime Video shows enjoy more popularity among premium audience but again u r drawing a wrong comparison as Disney worldwide and in India too operates TV+OTT+Movie Production business so they are catering to a wider audience base thus not necessarily putting all its resources in making very high budget OTT content, also particularly Netflix has had an approach of making such big budget shows and have more costlier subscription plans thus for long term had a smaller audience base but now they r trying to expand viewer base by launching less costlier mobile plans + freemium model though for limited content + getting more mass appealing content onboard their platform and Amazon Prime Video again as i said balances content which is appealing to both mass + niche audience keeping pricing affordable thereby earning revenue thru getting higher volume of subscribers rather than being reliant on more ARPU....lastly as i have said Prime Video acts more as an complimentary offering to its E-Commerce customers so that more people use the latter hence OTT is not their main part of revenue ecosystem


Buddy by saying separate business i meant that Netflix, Amazon Prime Video r only operating in OTT space while Disney has operations both in TV + OTT space hence accordingly there r different strategies required to effectively reach concerned audience in both cases.


Also buddy u r again getting confused as far as adoption of different strategy for Mobile and Connected TV customers is concerned , as i have explained earlier that for each type of genre/content companies decide upon best way to monetize it thru each medium used to reach out to audience....u cannot expect an affordable mobile streaming plan to provide same features and cost same as a regular OTT plan which can be used to watch content on any device be it Connected TV, Mobile etc. hence when freemmium model is adopted companies decide as to how they can maximise revenue for such content on both mediums and hence say they know most mobile streaming customers would have limited budgets to spend on OTT subscription hence Free Access can widen reach which can help earn more ad revenue while Large Part of Connected TV audience base can afford to pay some amount for same content as company is offering enhanced viewing experience to them.....so essentially u need to view this with a more broader outlook and yes people r price conscious hence for each segment strategy is decided accordingly


Cricket Rights and even generally acquiring other sports rights have become very costly so obviously broadcasters, OTT platforms find it difficult to recover investment....India Cricket, IPL, ICC events do help bring subscribers onboard but again at very low priced subscription plans + ad revenues not being sufficient it becomes difficult to run a sustainable business, even for other premium sports people r unwilling to pay more for subscription plans unlike in foreign countries where watching/opting for any sports content / channel costs a lot hence broadcasters/platforms earn good revenues but in India that is difficult hence u will see more companies being cautious and balancing buying sports rights which r financially viable and choose what is needed for their TV or OTT platforms

This is what chatgpt summarized

- Hotstar Originals are popular in India, with some made available for free viewing recently, though their popularity doesn't match that of Netflix or Amazon Prime Video originals globally.
- Disney+Hotstar operates in TV, OTT, and movie production, catering to a wider audience, and doesn't solely focus on high-budget OTT content.
- Different strategies are adopted for mobile and Connected TV customers, considering monetization and affordability, and a freemium model is used to maximize revenue based on audience segments.

 

[Prithi Deb]

I can counter all your points. Thing is by the time I read half your post. I become very tired. If you could reply with one paragraph at a time. We can have a discussion.

Me, when I see a post starting with "Buddy..."

 

[StoriesWithPK]

Hotstar Originals ranking in Ormax Top 10 List shouldn't be taken seriously. Nobody watches these shows. Hotstar added just 700K new subscribers. It could've very easily been from the broadband bundle. Wired broadband keeps adding 1.5M+ new subscribers every quarter.

 

[Mr.Bhat]

Hotstar now not allowing to watch in browser... Asking to download app... Also not allowing more than 3 device login for mine super upgraded premium plan... Earlier allowed 4 devices...