Disney + Hotstar App

I have a theory about this - nothing confirmed but here goes:

Disney+ has launched in SA using the Hotstar app, rather than the Disney + app that is available in the USA, the EU and the UK. Hotstar was piloted in India and it was a hot mess then too. It functions well on desktops and smart devices but the user experience is utter garbage on the smart TVs that can install it (picture quality and scrubbing are rubbish)

So consider the following:

1) Disney + for SA is optimised for desktops

2) It's utter rubbish on Smart TVs and isn’t offered for consoles in SA

3) https://mybroadband.co.za/news/broadcasting/442214-dstv-to-offer-disney-in-south-africa.html

Draw your own conclusions…

Hi, so, from what I understand, by reading comments etc from various sources, this is not Microsoft's fault at all, as Sony has the same issue.

This is due to Disney in SA piggybacking off a service called Hotstar, to bring Disney Plus to SA. So we are technically at the mercy of Hotstar, and from what I read, they have a bit of a reputation for bungling launches, so they are still working on getting us the apps to the stores, on top of that, the launch has been mired by dodgy low quality streams and buffering.

The really sad thing is, there are some amazing shows and movies on Disney Plus....to make that worse, the search function on the app is HORRENDOUS!!! ....and pretty much useless as it is.

Hopefully they will get their act together soon, and give us a similar experience to what the rest of the world is getting from Disney Plus. I am no expert, so I speak under correction, but I think this is what is going on.

We just need to wait for Hotstar to launch the apps to our console stores (this includes Windows, Xbox and PSStore)...the Android version is ok, as it features downloads, which makes the buffering manageable, but its no help for someone wanting to watch on their big screen tv, (the AndroidTV app doesn't support downloads as of yet, it runs an older version of the Disney Plus Android app, they have mentioned downloads are coming though, no idea when).

Hi Scott! My name is Stephanie and I'm more than happy to help you out!

Unfortunately, there are no announcements that Microsoft will support the source. You can however send your feedback to the Xbox team regarding this for them to review your concern:

https://support.xbox.com/en-US/help/account-profile/manage-account/xbox-insider-hub-report-a-problem

Kind regards,
Stephanie

It seems like Disney has opted to use the Redstar streaming service, so we have "Disney", but it's not really Disney. It's Redstar, streaming Disney content.

It's mind boggling how Netflix and Amazon can offer a great Windows 10 app, but South Africans are blocked from installing the official Disney app

Disney confirmed that Disney+ app will be available on iOS, Apple TV, Android, Android TV, Google Chromecast and
Xbox One at launch.

In addition to the US, Disney+ will available in Canada and the Netherlands on November 12. On November 19th, Disney+ will be available in Australia and New Zealand.