How to Watch Hotstar on The Disney Bundle in 2024

Following the acquisition of Star India, Disney took drastic measures to change the media streaming landscape in the United States. More precisely, the American version of Hotstar ceased to exist as a standalone service. Its content library has been transferred to The Disney Bundle, finding its way to a couple of different apps. With that said, you must be wondering how to watch Hotstar on The Disney Bundle, as that situation has become complicated.

Having in-depth knowledge of today's media streaming industry, our team is here to explain and simplify the situation surrounding Hotstar in the US. We'll show you how to watch it, how much that will cost you, and we'll also provide some insider tips you won't find elsewhere.

With that said, let's get started! Here's all you need to know about watching Hotstar via The Disney Bundle.

Has Hotstar Been Discontinued in the US?  

Yes, Hotstar was discontinued in the US on September 1, 2021. That happened after 21st Century Fox (owned by Disney) merged with Star India, the previous owner of Hotstar.

However, unlike what many had expected, Hotstar's content didn't end up on Disney Plus. That's probably because Hotstar used to feature Indian movies and TV shows, which can be considered a niche category. Therefore, Disney decided to split Hotstar's library and scatter its content across Hulu and ESPN Plus. 

If you didn't know, The Disney Bundle consists of three separate and independently operated streaming services: Disney Plus, Hulu, and ESPN Plus. 

If you're after Indian movies and TV shows, your option is to turn to Hulu. That's where you'll find a dedicated segment that hosts thousands of titles, including Hotstar specials. New content is added regularly, with some of the most popular titles currently being: The Office, Hostages, Out of Love, City of Dreams, Live Telecast, and OK Computer. 

If you're after sports, you should turn to ESPN Plus. That's the new US streaming home for live cricket events from the VIVO IPL, the International Cricket Council (ICC) Men's T20 World Cup, as well as BCCI home tours for the Indian national team.

Therefore, Hotstar's content didn't disappear. However, instead of using a single app to watch movies, TV shows, and sports content, you must now turn to two apps: Hulu and ESPN Plus.

How to Watch Hotstar on The Disney Bundle?

There are two ways to watch Hotstar on The Disney Bundle, based on whether you want to watch Indian movies and TV shows or if you're after sports-related content.

If You Want Hotstar’s Movies & TV Shows

As mentioned above, Hotstar's movies and TV shows are now part of Hulu. So, if you're a subscriber to The Disney Bundle, here's how to access that content: 

• If you’re not a subscriber, subscribe to The Disney Bundle.
• Visit Hulu’s website or use any of its apps (iOS, Android).
• Access your Hulu subscription using your credentials.
• Use the main menu to navigate to ‘Hubs.’
• Select the ‘Hostar’ hub.
• You can browse Hotstar’s movies and TV shows. That’s it!

If You Want Hotstar’s Sports-Related Content

If you want to follow Indian cricket games or any sports content previously available on Hotstar, you must turn to ESPN Plus. Here's what to do: 

• If you don’t have an account, subscribe to The Disney Bundle.
• Visit ESPN’s website or any of its apps (iOS, Android).
• Navigate to the ‘ESPN+’ section. 
• Log in using your Disney account username and password. 
• Find the content you want to watch. That’s it!

How to Subscribe to Hotstar via The Disney Bundle? 

Considering that Hotstar is now part of The Disney Bundle, you have multiple options in front of you. The easiest option is to subscribe to The Disney Bundle directly. However, other options exist, based on the type of content you seek.

If You Want All of Hotstar’s Content

If you want movies, TV shows, documentaries, children-friendly content, and sports-related content, your best option is to subscribe to The Disney Bundle. That's how you'll get access to Disney Plus, Hulu, and ESPN Plus (for a discounted price).

There are two The Disney Bundle subscription plans. You can pay $13.99/month for the ad-supported Hulu plan. Or you can pay $19.99/month for the plan that includes ad-free Hulu. 

To learn more, here's our central guide on The Disney Bundle, which explains various media steaming subscription options offered by Disney. 

If You Only Want Movies & TV Shows

If you want Indian movies and TV shows only, you can subscribe to Hulu only (and use it as a standalone service). You can even get a free 30-day Hulu trial, letting you test-drive the streaming service without any restrictions. 

At the moment, you can choose from two standalone Hulu plans. If you don't mind occasional ads, you can get Hulu's standard plan, priced at $6.99/month. And if you want to get rid of ads, you need to get the Hulu (No Ads) plan, currently priced at $12.99/month.

If You Only Want Sports-Related Content 

Since Hotstar's sports-related content is now part of ESPN Plus, you can subscribe to ESPN+ only – if you want nothing other than sports.

Right now, ESPN Plus offers a single subscription plan. However, you pay $6.99 each month, or you can pay $69.99 each year. We have to add that it's worth paying for the whole year ahead, as ESPN Plus has been raising its prices over the latest year.

Does Hotstar Come Free with The Disney Bundle?

Technically, Hotstar does come free with The Disney Bundle. More precisely, Hotstar's content is included in the price, so you won't have to pay extra for its content.

That means that you'll still need to pay for a subscription to access Hotstar's content. As explained above, you can subscribe to Hulu or ESPN Plus. Or you can combine those two streaming services with Disney Plus by getting The Disney Bundle.

With that said, many of you wonder if it's possible to watch Hotstar for free? Actually, that's possible – by accessing the Indian version of Hotstar (now known as Disney+ Hotstar). To make that happen, you need a VPN service with servers in India.

As soon as you obtain an Indian IP address (done by connecting to a VPN server in India), you'll get to access Disney+ Hotstar and stream plenty of movies and TV shows for free. You don't even have to create an account.

That would be all on how to watch Hotstar on The Disney Bundle. However, if you're confused by anything said in this guide, let us know just below. Finally, thank you for reading!