Malaysian Twitter was abuzz on Sunday as the discovery of the official – verified – Disney Plus Hotstar Malaysia accounts on Instagram and Facebook made their rounds. What’s more, the first photo uploaded was a simple tease. A gradient square in Disney blue with the word “LOADING.”
Now, 24 hours later, the page is gone and, if you were a “follower,” all you’d be greeted with on Instagram is a “User Not Found” page. (Their Facebook page was also unavailable as of this morning.)
As for why they took them down? It is likely that these were placeholder accounts that Disney pre-registered to prevent Instagram/Facebook squatters, and they took them down because they didn’t want to address questions that they didn’t have answers to/weren’t ready to answer. (When is it launching? How much will it cost? etc.)
They may have been planning a soft launch for their social media pages and that might have been scuppered by overeager Malaysians on the Internet. (Can you blame us? We’re excited!)
That said, it is safe to assume that the discovery of these verified Facebook and Instagram accounts can only mean one thing: Disney+ is coming to Malaysia.
But when? What will it include? How much would it cost? Do I really need another streamer? Here are those questions (and a few more) with some educated guesstimate answers.
1. What is Disney+?
Disney+ is Disney’s foray into the streaming wars. Launched in the U.S. in November 2019, the service is slowly making its way to our part of the planet, first with the launch of Disney+ Hotstar in India, then Indonesia, Singapore, and possibly Malaysia.
2. What is Hotstar?
Hotstar is an on demand video streaming service based in India that was initially under the Fox banner of companies, but was brought into Disney during their takeover of 21st Century Fox in 2019. From the current press releases, Disney is using Hotstar across Asia as a co-brand to their Disney+ service.
3. What Will Be Included?
Here is where things get a little less clear. First things first, it is fairly safe to assume that the entire Disney back catalogue, as well as new shows created for Disney+ (The Mandalorian, WandaVision, The World According To Jeff Goldblum, Soul, 31 seasons of The Simpsons, etc.) will be available. This means that at the very least, Disney+ will come with the Disney, PIXAR, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic back catalogues, like in India, Indonesia, and soon, Singapore. However, Disney+ in the U.S. also comes with the option to add on the ESPN+ and Hulu networks, and those options have not been made available in the Asian countries mentioned above, so it is highly unlikely to appear here as well. That said, the cobranding with Hotstar means that there will also be localised content appearing in the Disney+ Hotstar service, as is the case in Indonesia and India. This should be the case for Disney+ Hotstar in Malaysia as well seeing as how all the job openings for the Disney+ service mention some kind of roles for local content creation.
In Singapore, however, the Disney+ cobrand isn’t with India’s (and Indonesia’s) Hotstar, but rather Star, which is being billed as Disney’s international answer to Hulu. Star in Singapore will be carrying Disney’s other franchises (and from the FX channel and 20th Century studio), and cater to older teens and adults. This would be where you’d find titles that aren’t in line with Disney’s family friendly image such as Atlanta, How I Met Your Mother, Family Guy, Deadpool, and Logan. Whether or not those shows become available to the Hotstar version of Disney+ is currently unknown.
So to recap, Disney+ will include the Disney, PIXAR, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic back catalogues. Disney+ Star in Singapore will also include FX and 20th Century Studio content. Disney+ Hotstar (in India, Indonesia, and possibly in Malaysia) will have Disney+ content and local content, but may not include FX and 20th Century Studio content.
Got it? Cool. Moving on.
4. How Much Would It Cost?
With Disney+ Hotstar Malaysia not actually announced yet, we can only go on the basis of the other Disney+ services from around the region. Based on that, the signs are encouraging.
Disney+ U.S. (basic account WITHOUT the ESPN+ and Hulu add ons) – USD79.99 a year, or USD7.99 a month.
Disney+ Hotstar (India) – US$20.55 a year, or US$4.10 a month.
Disney+ Hotstar (Indonesia) – US$14.14 a year, or US$2.77 a month.
Disney+ Star (Singapore) – US$90.51 a year, or US$9 a month.
5. When Will It Be Here?
No dates have been announced for Disney+ Hotstar Malaysia, but with Singapore’s 23rd February 2021 release date, Malaysia can’t be too far outside that range. It’s worth noting that the Disney+ Star Singapore Instagram page released the same “Loading” image 10 weeks out of it’s launch date (December 10th 2020). Our best guess? Mid or end of March.
6. But I Already Have Disney Channel on Astro. Do I Have to Sign Up for This One Too?
You actually don’t have access to the Disney Channel on Astro anymore. As of the 1st of January, both Disney Channel and Disney Junior are no longer on Astro. Astro still has Nickeloden if you have kids that need to be entertained, but if you’re looking for Disney content specifically, then yeah, you’ll need to sign up for Disney+ Hotstar when it becomes available.
7. Where Can I Access It?
Just like the other streamers, you will be able to access Disney+ Hotstar on the mobile app, the homepage, or apps on your Apple TV or Smart TVs.
8. Will It Have Multiple Profiles?
Yup! So you and your significant other (or kids) can get on your own Mandalorian viewing times. Also included are a multitude of Disney (and Disney owned) characters that you can use as profile pictures.
9. Will I Be Able to Watch All Episodes of Disney+ Originals at Launch?
Unlike Netflix, Disney+ may stick to it’s original week-to-week viewing experience with some of it’s major shows. This is all pure conjecture, but based on the release of the service in the U.K. in March 2020, Disney+ didn’t make all episodes of Season 1 of The Mandalorian automatically available for viewing, rather releasing it week to week, despite the series having completed it’s initial run in the U.S. Whether or not Disney+ will repeat that for this region is currently anyone’s guess.
So there it is, nine questions and some educated guesstimates about Disney+ Hotstar’s arrival to Malaysian shores. Reach out to us if you have any more questions and we’ll do our best to come up with answers.
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