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The Walt Disney Company dropped its direct-to-consumer streaming service, Disney+, in India this past week on the local platform Hotstar, and fans are not happy. Since the launch, a flood of complaints has come in regarding the streaming service’s subpar quality.
Subscribers claim that they can only watch content in 720p, far below high definition standards of 1080p or 4k.
Disney+’s response has been uniform and seemingly automatic stating that they have cut the quality to save date during this time of crisis:
“Hi! In the interest of saving data for essential services amidst the Covid-19 lockdown, we are limiting bitrates to reduce data usage on mobile devices, while maintaining quality viewing experience. We request your support & understanding in these unprecedented times. Stay Safe!”
Hi! In the interest of saving data for essential services amidst the Covid-19 lockdown, we are limiting bitrates to reduce data usage on mobile devices, while maintaining quality viewing experience. We request your support & understanding in these unprecedented times. Stay Safe!
— Disney+HS_helps (@hotstar_helps) April 7, 2020
Hi! In the interest of saving data for essential services amidst the Covid-19 lockdown, we are limiting bitrates to reduce data usage on mobile devices, while maintaining quality viewing experience. We request your support & understanding in these unprecedented times. Stay Safe!
— Disney+HS_helps (@hotstar_helps) April 7, 2020
Hi! In the interest of saving data for essential services amidst the Covid-19 lockdown, we are limiting bitrates to reduce data usage on mobile devices, while maintaining quality viewing experience. We request your support & understanding in these unprecedented times. Stay Safe!
— Disney+HS_helps (@hotstar_helps) April 7, 2020
Hi! In the interest of saving data for essential services amidst the Covid-19 lockdown, we are limiting bitrates to reduce data usage on mobile devices, while maintaining quality viewing experience. We request your support & understanding in these unprecedented times. Stay Safe!
— Disney+ Hotstar (@DisneyPlusHS) April 7, 2020
But India is not the first market to be hit with a lower quality of Disney+. Inside the Magic reported last month that Europe would receive 25% lower bandwidth from Disney+. While it is fortunate to receive such a highly sought-after streaming service, nobody wants to receive a product with far lower quality than is expected. Especially from someone like Disney.
The Walt Disney Company partnered with the Indian streaming platform, Hotstar, to open one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing economies to Disney+. It is now available for $20 per annual subscription. But it is clear by these tweets that many will not think the price worth such low quality.
It is s difficult position for Disney to be in as India suffers through its own 21-day lockdown to curb the spread of the current pandemic. Ironically, now is the time when the quality should be at its highest. More people than ever are stuck at home eager to watch their favorite Disney films. What’s more shocking is the dissonance of customer service. When Disney+ first launched, help channels were advertised and proven to be very personal, even asking for content subscribers wanted to see uploaded. Once the lockdown is lifted, the streaming quality and the customer service will most likely be returned to satisfactory levels.