The Disney+ Hotstar streaming service has cemented its place as the most widely used Subscription Video On Demand (SVOD) service in India. The service gained an extra 6% of the market share in Q3 2022 and now holds 27% of the total market. Amazon Prime also made gains, adding 1% to its own share, while Netflix lost 2% during the period and remains the third most popular streaming service.
Disney+ Hotstar Content
Disney+ Hotstar is home to 100,000 hours of streaming movies and drama. It streams major cricket, kabaddi, and other sports; has an extensive library of Disney movies and original shows in Hindi, Tamil, and other local Indian languages; and the service also features content from the likes of Showtime, Fox, and HBO.
Viewers can watch Marvel and Star Wars movies on the platform, and in August, HBO premiered House of the Dragon, set approximately 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones, the hugely successful series for HBO. Despite only pulling in just over 2 million viewers with its premiere, its final episode, in 2019, attracted nearly 20 million.
The success of the first series of House of the Dragon has seen confirmation of a second series, which will help further explain the ascendancy and subsequent downfall of the titular House of the Dragon.
Amazon Prime Performance
Amazon Prime also saw an increase in market share, albeit a more modest 1% increase. Prime membership benefits from additional features, such as free next-day delivery on select items and access to the Prime Music streaming service.
Netflix Struggling to Retain Viewers
Meanwhile, Netflix continues to languish in third place: a 2% drop leaves the platform with a comparatively modest 12% market share. Once the world’s most popular streaming service, Netflix has been struggling to retain viewers despite having a lot of original content and enjoying major hits like Stranger Things, The Crown, and more.
They have recently announced an ad-supported membership tier that will offer lower prices in exchange for serving ads during shows. Disney+ has announced a similar ad-supported tier will be coming to their own service.
Other Streaming Platforms
Medianews4u show that the three largest streamers hold a total of 60% of the market, leaving modest pickings for other services. Local streaming service zee5 did manage to gain 1%, giving it a share of 10%, with Zoot, Sony Liv, and Jio Cinema taking 6%, 4%, and 4% of market shares, respectively.
The Widening Gulf
The Disney+ service launched in the U.S. in 2019 before launching in Europe in March 2020 and in India in April of the same year. But, despite Netflix and Amazon Prime having launched considerably earlier, both in 2016, it is Disney that currently dominates the Indian streaming market, mirroring global results.
With its ad-supported subscription tier coming soon, along with fresh content, including new series of House of the Dragon and upcoming Marvel and Star Wars releases, the gap over other platforms could be set to widen further.
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