Source: Engadget | SpaceX successfully completes Crew Dragon engine tests without an explosion
- Motorola throws back to the future with a foldable Razr reboot TechCrunch
- Motorola made the foldable Razr we’ve wanted The Verge
- Hands on: Motorola Razr 2019 review TechRadar India
- Motorola Razr Hands-on Review: The High Price of Nostalgia Digital Trends
- Motorola Razr foldable phone does something the Galaxy Fold can’t — it snaps flat CNET
- View full coverage on Google News
- German automation talent powers Musk’s battery move to Europe Reuters
- Tesla is walking into the lion’s den CNN
- Tesla to Start Mass Production in China as Musk Sets Up Shop in Berlin Bloomberg Technology
- Opinion: Tesla’s Germany plans are no coincidence DW (English)
- Tesla and Berlin Are a Perfect Match Bloomberg
- View full coverage on Google News
- Islamic Jihad says ceasefire with Israel agreed Al Jazeera English
- Cease-fire reached with Israel to end Gaza fighting, Islamic Jihad says Fox News
- Gaza Strip ceasefire agreed after 32 killed in bombardments Al Jazeera English
- Does Israel Need a Crisis to End Its Crisis? The New York Times
- Islamic Jihad Says Cease-Fire Reached to End Gaza fighting TIME
- View full coverage on Google News
- Walmart’s early Black Friday deal: 512GB 10.5-inch iPad Pro for $599 Engadget
- Costco Black Friday 2019: The Best New Live Deals Forbes
- Walmart’s early Black Friday sale just started – here are the 10 best deals BGR
- Walmart slashes prices on 3 popular tablets in this can’t-miss early Black Friday deal Yahoo Lifestyle
- Walmart Pre-Black Friday 2019: Best Deals On Computers and TVs Forbes
- View full coverage on Google News
- Grand Rapids to pay $190,000 to Latino U.S. citizen, war veteran held by ICE NBCNews.com
- US-born Marine vet wrongly held by ICE for three days to be paid 190G Fox News
- Grand Rapids to Pay $190000 Settlement to War Veteran Detained by ICE TIME
- City to pay $190K to Latino US citizen held by ICE ABC News
- View full coverage on Google News
Disney plans to bring its on-demand video streaming service to India and some Southeast Asian markets as soon as the second half of next year, two sources familiar with the company’s plan told TechCrunch.
In India, the company plans to bring Disney+’s catalog to Hotstar, a popular video streaming service it owns, after the end of next year’s IPL cricket tournament in May, the people said.
Soon afterwards, the company plans to expand Hotstar with Disney+ catalog to Indonesia and Malaysia among other Southeast Asian nations, said those people on the condition of anonymity.
A spokesperson for Hotstar declined to comment.
Hotstar leads the Indian video streaming market. The service said it had more than 300 million monthly subscribers during the IPL cricket tournament and ICC World Cup earlier this year. More than 25 million users simultaneously streamed one of the matches, setting a new global record.
However, Hotstar’s monthly userbase plummets below 60 million in weeks following IPL tournament, according to people who have seen the internal analytics. The arrival of more originals from Disney on Hotstar, which already offers a number of Disney-owned titles in India, could help the service sustain users after cricket seasons.
The international expansion of Hotstar isn’t a surprise as it has entered the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. in recent years. In an interview with TechCrunch earlier this year, Ipsita Dasgupta, president of Hotstar’s international operations, said so far the platform’s international strategy has been to enter markets with “high density of Indians.”
In an earnings call for the quarter that ended in June this year, Disney CEO Robert Iger hinted that the company, which snagged Indian entertainment conglomerate Star India as part of its $71.3 billion deal with 21st Century Fox, would bring Star India-operated Hotstar to Southeast Asian markets, though he did not offer a timeline.
Disney+, currently available in the U.S, Canada and the Netherlands, will expand to Australia and New Zealand next week, and the U.K., Germany, Italy, France and Spain on March 31, the company announced last week.
Price hike
Disney, which debut its video streaming service in the U.S. this week and has already amassed over 10 million subscribers, plans to raise the monthly subscription fee of Hotstar in India, where the service currently costs $14 a year, one of the two aforementioned people said.
![](https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/hotstar_screencap.jpg)
A screenshot of Hotstar’s homepage
The price hike will happen towards the end of the first quarter next year, just ahead of commencement of next IPL cricket tournament season, they said. The company has not decided exactly how much it intends to charge, but one of the people said that it could go as high as $30 a year.
In other Southeast Asian markets, the service is likely to cost above $30 a year as well, both of the sources said. The prices have yet to be finalized, however, they said.
Even at those suggested price points, Disney would be able to undercut rivals on price. Until recently, Netflix charged at least $7 a month in India and other Southeast Asian markets. But this year, the on-demand streaming pioneer introduced a $2.8 monthly tier in India and $4 in Malaysia.
Hotstar offers a large library of local movies and titles syndicated from international cable networks and studios Showtime, HBO, and ABC (also owned by Disney). In its current international markets, Hotstar’s catalog is limited to some local content and large library of Indian titles.
In recent quarters, Hotstar has also set up an office in Tsinghua Science Park in Beijing, China and hired over 60 engineers and researchers to expand its tech infrastructure to service more future users, according to job recruitment posts and other data sourced from LinkedIn.
Source: Tech Crunch Mobiles | Disney+ to launch in India, Southeast Asian markets next year
Motorola throws back to the future with a foldable Razr reboot – TechCrunch
November 14, 2019Source: Google News | Motorola throws back to the future with a foldable Razr reboot – TechCrunch
German automation talent powers Musk's battery move to Europe – Reuters
November 14, 2019Source: Google News | German automation talent powers Musk's battery move to Europe – Reuters
Source: Google News | Islamic Jihad says ceasefire with Israel agreed – Al Jazeera English
Walmart's early Black Friday deal: 512GB 10.5-inch iPad Pro for $599 – Engadget
November 14, 2019Source: Google News | Walmart's early Black Friday deal: 512GB 10.5-inch iPad Pro for 9 – Engadget
Walmart's early Black Friday deal: 512GB 10.5-inch iPad Pro for $599
November 14, 2019
Source: Engadget | Walmart's early Black Friday deal: 512GB 10.5-inch iPad Pro for 9
Grand Rapids to pay $190,000 to Latino U.S. citizen, war veteran held by ICE – NBCNews.com
November 14, 2019Source: Google News | Grand Rapids to pay 0,000 to Latino U.S. citizen, war veteran held by ICE – NBCNews.com