Finally! It’s been an interminable wait (made worse by the sudden appearance, and an even more sudden disappearance of some social media accounts back in January) but the arrival of Disney Plus in Malaysia is finally upon us, with the highly anticipated streaming service set to launch locally on June 1, 2021. Malaysian subscribers will now have access to movies and content across all of their iconic brands, including Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, National Geographic, and the Asian Hotstar brand.
Disney Plus Hotstar: How Much Is It?
Disney Plus Hotstar will be available for RM54.90 for the first three months if you subscribe through the app. It is also available via a special package with ASTRO for its Movies Pack customers.
It’s not the cheapest streaming option out there, but you do get a lot for what you pay.
For a quick and dirty comparison, here are what some of the other major streamers cost in Malaysia for three months. Apple TV+ = RM59.70. Netflix = RM51. Viu = RM22. Mubi = RM17.25. Amazon = US$17.97 (they bill in USD). iflix = RM30 (yes, they’re still around!).
It is important to note that Disney Plus Hotstar is NOT exclusively distributed through ASTRO. It is a direct to consumer service that can be accessed via their own app and across a wide selection of compatible mobile and connected TV devices.
What is Disney Plus Hotstar?
Disney Plus Hotstar was created in March 2020 when the Disney Plus service was grafted on to the existing and wildly successful Hotstar platform in India that Disney acquired when it bought 20th Century Fox in 2019. Disney has since used the Disney Plus Hotstar brand in Indonesia and will now also do so in Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines.
Does That Mean There Will Be Local Content On the Service?
Just like the Hotstar brand has done in Indonesia, Disney Plus Hotstar Malaysia will include a whole host of Malaysian films as well as exclusive blockbusters. The three Malaysian blockbusters announced at the virtual press conference was the action movie J2: J Retribusi, the zombie thriller Zombitopia and horror Ada Hantu. These movies will be skipping Malaysian cinemas entirely and heading straight to the service.
Disney Plus Hotstar will also aggregate a selection of classic Malaysian movies, cartoons, and Media Prima TV shows, including Ejen Ali, all 10 seasons of Upin & Ipin, J Revolusi, Tombiruo, KL Special Force, Ejen Ali The Movie, Upin & Ipin: Keris Siamang Tunggal, Munafik, Istanbul Aku Datang!, Talentime, Mukhsin, and others. Disney Plus Hotsar will also have two shows that will drop all of its episodes exclusively on the platform before being screened on television, Wifi Sebelah Rumah (featuring Zul Ariffin and Ruhainies) and Semanis Senyumanmu (featuring Daiyan Trisha and Aiman Hakim Ridza).
What Else Is On Hotstar?
The Hotstar brand will also bring a whole host of international programming including The Simpsons, The Walking Dead, How I Met Your Mother, Jojo Rabbit, Nomadland, the Alien series of films, and more. It’s worth noting that a lot of these titles are not available with the basic Disney Plus package in the rest of the world, as they fall under the Hulu service and is considered an add on. So yay Hotstar!
What Else Is Included?
Um. EVERYTHING. Over 800 films and 18,000 episodes of TV across the entire Disney catalogue and brands.
Other Questions
How many profiles can be set up and will people be able to share them across devices and households? How many devices can be connected at one time?
Each registered account can support two concurrent streams, and the majority of content is available for download on mobile and tablet. All content is commercial-free, with a dedicated kids section with age-appropriate content and a kid-friendly, easy-to-navigate user interface.
We don’t know how many user profiles will be supported by the app.
What does the “ASTRO special package” mean?
According to ASTRO, their “new, bigger and better Movies Pack” which includes Disney Plus Hotstar “will come at an additional RM5 per month added automatically to your subscription starting 1 June 2021.” Basically, if you are a Movies Pack subscriber on ASTRO, you will be automatically subscribed to Disney Plus and charged the extra RM5. You will then need to activate your Disney Plus account with your ASTRO ID. On launch, Disney Plus Hotstar will only be available to Astro customers on via the Disney Plus Hotstar mobile app and website. It will not be accessible via the Ultra and Ulti connected boxes until later in 2021.
You can find answers to your other ASTRO related questions here.
Premier Access
This was Disney’s solution to the pandemic shutting down cinemas in the United States. New blockbuster movies (specifically Mulan and Raya and the Last Dragon) were available immediately on Disney Plus in the U.S. but at an additional one time fee of USD30. Will Premier Access be coming to Malaysia and, if so, how much will it cost?
UPDATE: Twitter user @marvelorbits from Indonesia reached out to say that Premiere Access is currently not available on Disney Plus Hotstar in Indonesia, and that movies like Mulan and Raya and the Last Dragon get added to the service after their premium run. Premiere Access is, however, available in Singapore, where they have access to the Disney Plus Service as opposed to the (cheaper?) Disney Plus Hotstar.
Pricing
What will the monthly pricing be like? Is the announced price of RM54.90 for three months a promotional price? Will that be the final monthly price (~RM18)?
We have reached out to The Walt Disney Company for clarification and will update this article as soon as we get the answers to these questions.
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