As HBO and Disney+ Hotstar deal is over, Game of Thrones, The Succession, The Last of Us – we’ve all seen or heard of these shows at some time in our lives. While the massive success of OTT platforms has made such amazing shows more accessible to us, this may not always be the case. HBO’s legacy programmes will soon be removed from the OTT space for the Indian audience.
HBO content to be phased out of Disney+ Hotstar in India from April 1
Starting April 1, India’s leading streaming platform Disney+ Hotstar will no longer broadcast HBO shows, in an appalling development. The change is part of the renewal agreement between HBO and Disney+ Hotstar, which resulted in no more HBO programming for the Indian audience via HBO. Let’s look at which shows are being phased out and what this implies for HBO content in terms of the Indian audience.
The loss of the digital streaming rights to the Indian Premier League (IPL 2023) by Disney+ Hotstar was a huge blow to the OTT network in many ways. When it comes to HBO content, however, the streaming giant has been streaming the shows since 2015, when the two businesses signed an exclusive agreement.
The streaming platform stated in an official post, “Starting March 31, HBO content will be unavailable on Disney+ Hotstar.” You can keep watching Disney+Hotstar’s extensive library of content, which includes over 100,000 hours of TV programmes and movies in ten languages, as well as coverage of major global sporting events.”
While the announcement may have surprised many viewers, experts think it is equally surprising for Disney+ Hotstar. According to media reports, the platform, which already lost a large viewership after losing the streaming rights to the IPL, may face some difficulties in that area now that HBO’s content has a large and varied viewership.
Game of Thrones, House of Dragons, The Succession, Ballers, Band of Brothers, Mind Over Murder, Obama, Scenes from a Marriage, The Last of Us, The Wire, We Own This City, and many more are among the popular shows that will no longer be accessible on Disney+ Hotstar.
Where to watch HBO shows in India after the departure from Disney+ Hotstar?
HBO is departing from Disney+. Hotstar has prompted many people to wonder where they can now view HBO content in India. Netizens, too, have been at odds over what to do since the news. Many people have suggested various methods for viewing HBO material, ranging from torrenting to using a VPN.
In August, Warner Bros Discovery confirmed that the launch of HBO Max in India was on pause, and that the company was instead focusing on growing its user base in existing markets where HBO Max is already available.
As people look for alternatives, various reports about where to view this content are making the rounds. According to a TechCrunch report, Amazon may be one of the future places to watch HBO programming. “Last year, the company signed a deal with Amazon for streaming rights to some HBO content,” it says. According to industry analysts, Amazon is one of the probable candidates to expand a deal with Warner Bros.”
However, it should be mentioned that HBO has not yet officially confirmed how its content will be available in India following its departure from Disney+ Hotstar.
Disclaimer:
AI was used to conduct research and help write parts of the article. We primarily use the Gemini model developed by Google AI. While AI-assisted in creating this content, it was reviewed and edited by a human editor to ensure accuracy, clarity, and adherence to Google's webmaster guidelines.
