Indian streaming platform Disney+ Hotstar has confirmed that it will no longer carry HBO content from March 31, in a move that was reported by Deadline last month.
The streamer tweeted the news in response to a subscriber asking about the availability of Perry Mason Season Two:
The move comes just one month after Disney CEO Bob Iger announced plans to cut $5.5BN in costs, including $3BN in non-sports related content.
But while popular HBO shows including House Of The Dragon, Game Of Thrones, Succession and The Last Of Us will no longer stream on the Disney-owned platform in India, there is still no confirmation on where they will end up.
Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) scrapped plans to launch HBO Max in India last year. Local industry analysts have speculated that WBD will expand its partnership with Amazon Prime Video in India, which already carries the HBO Max originals. WBD did not respond when contacted by Deadline.
Disney+ Hotstar is currently India’s biggest streamer although its subscription base dropped by 6% to 57.5 million during the quarter ended December 31, 2022. It lost the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket last year, when Viacom18 acquired rights to the tournament for $2.6BN, although Disney retained rights for Indian broadcast television.
WBD has recently made a string of announcements about renewing deals for HBO content with streamers and pay-TV operators across the Middle East and Asia, including OSN, Australia’s Foxtel and Japan’s U-Next. These announcements suggest WBD is allowing partners to signal the retention of HBO programming before it announces the rollout of its own platform in the region.
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