Disney Plus to debut in India on 29 March; partnership with Hotstar may give it a fair advantage

When Walt Disney Co’s Disney+ streaming service makes its debut in India on 29 March, it will enjoy the luxury of home-court advantage: Hotstar.

Disney’s control of Hotstar, which it acquired through the $71 billion purchase of Twenty-First Century Fox in 2019, gives Disney+’s entrance into the Indian market in partnership with Hotstar hundreds of millions of potential subscribers it can attract.

Hotstar reported 300 million monthly active users last year. Most of these are users of the free, advertising-supported service and Disney has said it is aiming to convert many of these users into paying subscribers.