Disney+ HotstarCopied

In March 2020 Hotstar, the streaming service owned by the Star network, was rebranded as Disney+ Hotstar. Mint reported that the change came ahead of the planned Disney+ launch in India on 29 March, just before the Indian Premier League season, and that the erstwhile black and yellow Hotstar logo had been replaced by a royal blue and white design.

The context was corporate. Walt Disney had acquired 21st Century Fox in a 71 billion dollar cash and stock deal, which made Star India, Fox Star Studios and Hotstar part of Disney. Mint noted that Hotstar planned to localise Disney+ films and shows with dubbing or subtitles in Indian languages including Hindi, Tamil and Telugu, and called Disney+ the company's big bet on video streaming, its answer to Netflix and Apple TV+.

The pandemic intervened. Deadline reported that the launch, postponed because of the coronavirus disruption, would instead roll out on 3 April, less than a week late. It set out the tiers: Hotstar VIP at 399 rupees a year with Marvel films, Frozen II, Toy Story 4 and Bollywood titles, and Hotstar Premium at 1,499 rupees a year, adding Disney originals such as The Mandalorian and US shows from HBO, Fox and Showtime.

The design logic is simple and ruthless. Hotstar's black and yellow was distinctive, a star of Indian streaming in its own right. Disney's blue, borrowed from the global Disney+ identity, signals that the service now belongs to a family, and that the family name comes first.

Mint set the timing against cricket: the rename came ahead of the Disney+ launch in India on 29 March, just before the Indian Premier League, though there was speculation about whether the IPL would go ahead given the coronavirus. It noted the black and yellow logo had given way to royal blue and white, and quoted the view that the design removes the Star sign and uses blue to signify Disney as the parent. In the United States, Disney+ had registered more than 10 million sign-ups in little more than a day. Swapping a local brand's colours for the parent's is a clear statement of who is in charge.

For subscribers the trade is clear: the familiar look disappears and a world of Disney and Marvel content arrives. As branding, it is a takeover rather than a merger. Keeping the Hotstar name preserved local recognition, but the colour switch tells you who is in charge. The co-branded name is clunky, as such compromises usually are, yet it did its job of introducing Disney to India through a brand Indians already used.