Hotstar Lands Disney Titles

MUMBAI: Star’s Hotstar platform has clinched a deal with Disney India to add a range of blockbuster movies to its Premium SVOD service.

The multiyear SVOD deal with Disney India covers titles such as Star Wars: The Force Awakens, The Jungle Book, Moana, Captain America: Civil War, Doctor Strange and Finding Dory. Hotstar’s Premium customers can also access library movies from Disney, among them Toy Story 3 and The Lion King, and series like Castle and Desperate Housewives. Content will be housed under branded Disney, Marvel and ABC Studios sections on the Hotstar homepage.

Ajit Mohan, the CEO of Hotstar, said, “Over the last six 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. This partnership signals our continuing strategy: we will invest deeply and widely with the best storytellers in the world to ensure that Premium continues as the standout streaming service in the country.”

“Our movies have met with much success in theaters this year,” said Amrita Pandey, VP of Studios at Disney India. “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.”