Disney+ Hotstar subscribers via Astro will see their plans downgraded from Premium to Basic. According to Aksiz, the change was quietly implemented yesterday, and follows the former’s introduction of new subscription tiers and pricing that was first implemented earlier this year. The move backtracks on the company’s decision to provide existing subscribers to Disney+ Hotstar’s Premium plan after its implementation in April, which will undoubtedly leave many disappointed.
What this means is that customers who include Disney+ Hotstar to their Astro subscription will lose on all Premium benefits, including the ability to stream in 4K, connect up to ten devices, as well as running on three concurrent screens. The Basic plan, on the other hand, allows users to stream content in 1080p on a single screen and supports up to three devices.
Responding to our queries, Astro affirms that the shift to the Basic plan comes at no additional cost to customers, though the RM54.90 per three months charge remains unchanged. For comparison, subscribing directly to Disney+ Hotstar for its Basic plan costs RM24.90 per month, whereas the quarterly charge from Astro equates to just RM18.30, which is still considerably cheaper.
Unfortunately, those who wish to continue enjoying Premium benefits will only be able to by subscribing directly through Disney+ Hotstar, as Astro currently does not offer the option to upgrade from Basic. Through the streaming service, the higher tier plan is priced at RM39.90 per month, RM79.90 for three months, and RM289.90.
