MUMBAI: It was almost a year and a half ago that Star India chairman & CEO Uday Shankar announced that its VoD streaming service Hotstar would be rolled out internationally. And then, there was silence. Even more silently – as compared to its big bang acquisition of the IPL media and digital rights on 4 September – Star India’s subsidiary Novi Digital Entertainment – has actually officially debuted Hotstar in the US and Canada.
Simultaneously, it has pulled the plug on the premium service, which has gone dark in all other areas, apart from the US, Canada and India.
The company looking after Hotstar’s operations in the US is 21st Century Fox Star US LLC, while Star US has appointed Novi Entertainment as its Canadian resident affiliate for collecting subscription fees.
The pricing for the two nations is as follows: $9.99 for the US and CAD$ 12.99 for subscribers to its premium service in Canada. That compares favourably with what Netflix charges for a premium package in Uncle Sam and is a dollar cheaper than what is charged by it in Canada. Users however will be entitled to a free trial for the first month.
Simultaneously, it has pulled the plug on the premium service, which has gone dark in all other areas, apart from the US, Canada and India.
The company looking after Hotstar’s operations in the US is 21st Century Fox Star US LLC, while Star US has appointed Novi Entertainment as its Canadian resident affiliate for collecting subscription fees.
The pricing for the two nations is as follows: $9.99 for the US and CAD$ 12.99 for subscribers to its premium service in Canada. That compares favourably with what Netflix charges for a premium package in Uncle Sam and is a dollar cheaper than what is charged by it in Canada. Users however will be entitled to a free trial for the first month.
