Disney+ Hotstar has been in the news lately. The OTT platform recently confirmed that it will no longer host HBO shows and moves on its platform in India from March 31. This means that users will no longer be able to watch popular HBO shows such as The Last of Us, Game of Thrones, This is Us, etc., on Hotstar in India. Just before the best HBO shows in India go away from Hotstar, the company has started rolling out a major update that introduces an all-new design. Dubbed Hotstar X, the new design of the app is now being made available to select users in India.
A Reddit user confirmed getting the new, revamped app on their Android phone. The user named Economy_Protection uploaded screenshots of the new design of the Disney+ Hotstar app in India. Let’s take a look at more details about the new Disney+ Hotstar app update rolling out to users in India.
New Disney+ Hotstar App Design Rolling Out in India
Disney+ Hotstar has released a new update that revamps the design of the app for users in India. Currently, the new design seems to be rolling out in a phased manner. A Reddit user revealed that they have received the new update with the revamped UI. Disney+ Hotstar has been beta testing its new design, dubbed Hotstar X, which is designed to support Disney’s streaming operations in the Middle East, Africa, South East Asia, and SAARC regions.
Disney+ currently has multiple apps for various regions. In India, the company partnered with Star’s Hotstar to make its content available in the country since 2016. Recently, the hybrid version of Disney+ and Disney+ Hotstar was spotted being tested and was called Hotstar X, according to a report.
The app would gradually replace the current Hotstar app and it looks like the rollout for the same has been initiated. Currently, the update seems to be available for select users on Android.
The screenshots show that the home page of the app is now revamped and now covers half of the screen with a preview of some new/ trending shows. The second half of the screen has tiles and blocks which include the latest and trending shows, followed by recommendations based on the user’s watch history.
After scrolling down a bit, users will see various buttons of various production houses, such as Hotstar Specials, Disney, Pixar, Marvel, etc. Users can simply tap on one of the buttons to open the list of all shows and movies available on the Hotstar app in India.
Also, at the bottom, there are only three tabs — Home, Search and My Space. There are also three sub-tabs in the home menu for checking TV shows, Movies and Sports categories.
The new app certainly is quite a revamp, compared to current version, and while it certainly looks quite simple, the UI seems to be more organised and user-friendly. At the moment, it is unknown when the update will be available for all users in India. Also, the new UI should be available for users on iOS as well. We will share more details about the same as and when available.
