Disney plans to take Hotstar to global markets; targets 40 mn subscribers

Hotstar splurged over Rs 4,000 cr on content in India in 2017, which also includes the cost of digital rights for cricket

Walt Disney Company, which bought Star India, is taking Hotstar, the country’s largest over the top (OTT) channel, to global markets. 

Hotstar has been launched in three key markets — the US, Canada, and the UK — and the aim is to reach majority of the 40 million South Asians living abroad. 

According to sources, Hotstar will concentrate on five markets, which include Singapore and West Asian countries. These constitute more than 75 per cent of the ethnic South Asian population. The plan is to penetrate a vast majority of these subscribers in four-five years. 

To push Hotstar, Disney has