Online video streaming platform
Hotstar is a video streaming app owned by Novi Digital Entertainment Private Limited. This multimedia app offers thousands of hours of TV content and movies across nine languages. More than that, it also provides streaming of every major sporting event. For users in India, the app also brings the best stories from Disney, Pixar, Star Wars franchise, and Marvel Studios. It offers both free and premium subscriptions. However, despite having a premium subscription, the streaming quality is quite low.
TV, movies, and sports in one app
The free version of this entertainment app provides more than 10,000 hours worth of some of the most popular TV shows and movies in India. It also offers previews and highlights of the cricket and other sports, as well as the latest news in the land. Subscribing to the Disney + Hotstar VIP will get you Disney shows and movies dubbed in vernacular languages. It also gives unrestricted access to live sports, like Dream 11 IPL, Premier League, and Formula 1. You can also access the latest Star TV serials, as well as original specials. There is also a Disney + Hotstar Premium subscription, which provides you with everything in VIP plus the latest American TV shows, Hollywood movies, and Disney movies in all languages, including English.
The app comes with a user-friendly interface reminiscent of Netflix. The homepage offers thumbnails of its offerings as well as previews of its popular content. Like Netflix, it also lists all the content you are watching, so you can continue where you left off. The app also provides recommendations based on your past selection. More, the app comes with a message thread feature for its live sports, so you can interact with your friends while watching your favorite sporting events.
At first glance, Hotstar seemed to be a worthy alternative for Indian users. However, as noted, despite having a premium subscription, the video and sound quality is quite low. More, the app takes ages to load the content that you want to play. Worse, sometimes it does not play at all, even if you have a stable internet connection.
Not enough to compete
Hotstar offers Indian users with an alternative video streaming platform. Like its competition, it offers a wide selection of content, both local and international. More, it provides live streaming of popular Indian sports leagues. However, aside from its vast library of content, there is nothing that the app can offer. As it is now, the video streaming is sub-par as compared to popular streaming platforms. There are also some usability issues, especially with the video playback.
