HOOQ Aligns with Hotstar for India Expansion

Subscribers to the Hotstar Premium service in India will have access to HOOQ’s 6,000-hour slate of Hollywood TV shows and movies following the signing of a new partnership between the two online services.

Hotstar, Star India’s market-leading OTT service, averages 150 million monthly active users. For HOOQ, the deal marks a significant expansion of its Indian presence.

“We are so pleased to announce this collaboration with Hotstar that combines their reach with our offering as the ‘Home for Hollywood’ in India,” said Peter Bithos, the CEO of HOOQ. “With the appetite for Hollywood content in India growing at a furious pace, we are poised to offer the Indian customer easily accessible and a very affordable way to watch the best of Hollywood. This partnership with Hotstar underscores our commitment to satisfying the Indian market’s appetite for on-demand content.”

Zulfiqar Khan, managing director of India for HOOQ, added, “This is the start of a great relationship between HOOQ and Hotstar in India. We are excited to bring to life a wealth of content for a new audience. The OTT market is an exciting space and our belief is that it is imperative for consumers to have easy access to content. With this Hotstar partnership, HOOQ takes another step forward in becoming the service known as the “Home of Hollywood” on major platforms.”

Prabh Singh, business head for Hotstar Premium, noted, “When it comes to English content, Hotstar Premium is uniquely placed in that it boasts titles from global studios like HBO, Disney, Showtime and Fox and now with HOOQ, iconic shows like The Big Bang Theory, The Flash, S.W.A.T. and even cult classics like Friends in the fold. Regardless of mood, genre preference or which side of the superhero debate you sit on, Hotstar Premium is the single destination where English content consumers find everything. The partnership with HOOQ firmly strengthens that position.”