Disney+ Hotstar Now Has 61.3 Million Paid Subscribers
Disney+ Hotstar now has 61.3 million subscribers, taking Disney+’s global subscriber base to 164.2 million. This means that Hotstar’s contribution to Disney+’s global subscriber base is now around 37.3 percent. Disney+ added more than 9 million new subscribers during its fourth fiscal quarter, with the main platform growing to a total of 102.9 million international members as of October. This figure does not include Disney + Hotstar, which saw a 42 percent increase compared to last year.
“At Disney+ Hotstar, we currently expect subscribers to decline [the next quarter] due to the absence of [Indian Premier League]but we expect to see some stability [the quarter after that],” said Christine McCarthy, Disney’s Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. In fact, the IPL will not be on Disney + Hotstar for the next five years, with Viacom18 taking over all the digital rights. Disney Star still holds the TV rights.
Disney CEO Bob Chapek said fiscal 2022 — Disney’s fiscal year that ended in September — was a strong year for the company, adding nearly 57 million subscriptions this year, across all Disney-owned streaming services, a total of millions 235.
“We are very happy with the growth in the fourth quarter. [that ended in September]which saw the addition of 14.6 million subscriptions across our portfolio of services, including 12 million Disney+ subscribers, more than 9 million of which were Core Disney+,” reports learn.
Disney + Hotstar is listed among international channels, which lost 18 percent in revenue, falling to $1.1 billion (about Rs. 8,965 crore). Operating income also fell 18 percent to $0.1 billion (approx. Rs. 814 crore), “reflecting lower operating income from channels that were active in the full year and prior quarter (continuing channels), partially offset by channel closure gains.” .”
The company puts the lower results from the outgoing channels due to the decrease in advertising revenue, higher marketing costs, and “the negative impact of foreign exchange, which was less purchased sports programming costs” There was no match for IPL cricket in the last quarter, compared to 18. the same in the same quarter last year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic causing shifts in the system.
Disney also notes that monthly revenue per paid subscriber on Disney+ Hotstar has dropped from $0.64 (approx. Rs. 52) to $0.58 (approx. Rs. 47). When it comes to live cricket, the streaming service is currently offering the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, which is scheduled to end next week. Disney Star also has the rights for all BCCI matches held in India.
Disney+ Hotstar Super subscription in India costs Rs. 899 per year, with ads, offering a 1080p experience. Premium subscription costs Rs. 1,499 without ads and support for 4K resolutions. Disney+ Hotstar is also offering a mobile subscription for Rs. 499 per year, limited to one mobile phone. There is also an ad-supported free category, but with heavy content restrictions.
