Hotstar drags down Disney+ Q1 ARPU, now has 28.5 million subscribers

Bengaluru: The Walt Disney Co.’s streaming service Disney+ earned an average of $4.03 per paying subscriber for the first fiscal quarter ended January 2, 2021, a significant dip from $4.52 in the previous quarter and a 28% dip from $5.56 in the corresponding quarter last year.

The company attributed the decline in average revenue per user (ARPU) to the much lower average price points of Disney+ Hotstar in India and Indonesia as compared to Disney+ in other markets.

Disney+ Hotstar currently offers yearly plans ranging from Rs 399 (Disney+ Hotstar VIP) to Rs 1,499 (Disney+ Hotstar Premium). It also offers a monthly premium plan of Rs 299. In comparison, Disney+ offers a yearly plan of $70 (around Rs 5,070 at current exchange rates) in the United States, which is expected to be hiked to $80 next month.