Reliance Jio Removes ₹1,499, ₹4,999 Disney+ Hotstar Bundled Plans: What's The Reason?

India's largest telecom operator, Reliance Jio, has removed two of its tariff plans priced at ₹1,499 and ₹4,199 that bundle the Disney+ Hotstar Premium subscription. This move follows the removal of other special recharge plans that bundled the Mobile subscription to the OTT platform, including ₹399, ₹419, ₹499, ₹583, ₹601, ₹799, ₹1,099, and ₹1,199 plans.

As per TelecomTalk, with the latest move, none of the Jio prepaid plans offer the Disney+ Hotstar subscription for users. Also, the Jio website does not list any such plans for interested subscribers.

Reliance Jio Removes ₹1,499, ₹4,999 Plans

Notably, the ₹1,499 and ₹4,199 prepaid plans are bundled with the Disney+ Hotstar Premium subscription for a year. The former offers 2GB of data per day, 100 SMS per day, and unlimited voice calling benefits. This plan has a validity of 84 days and includes access to the Jio suite of apps. On the other hand, the ₹4,199 includes benefits such as 3GB of data per day, 100 SMS per day, unlimited voice calls, and access to the Jio suite of apps.

Notably, the Disney+ Hotstar Premium subscription enables video streaming resolution in HD (720p) and limits access to the service only to one mobile device. While there aren't any plans for subscribers who are looking for a recharge now, existing subscribers of these plans will continue to enjoy the benefits until the validity lasts.

As of now, there is no clarity on the reason for Reliance Jio dropping these plans. One of the reasons could be the IPL streaming rights that have been acquired by Viacom 18, TV18's subsidiary, which is a part of Reliance Industries Limited.

How Does it Compete Against Airtel, Vi?

While Jio has discontinued the prepaid plans that bundle the Disney+ Hotstar, rival operators such as Vi and Airtel still offer prepaid plans that bundle this OTT subscription service. Nearly, 15-30% of subscribers to this OTT service come from the telecom juggernaut Reliance Jio, claim reports. With Jio having removed these plans, this could be a bigger brunt for the OTT platform.

This gives more scope for Airtel and Vi, which offer plans bundled with a Disney+ Hotstar subscription. We can expect subscriptions to these prepaid plans to increase in the coming months.