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Disney+ Hotstar is coming to Thailand, the Walt Disney Company confirmed this month. The subsidiary streaming service run by Disney Media and Entertainment will hit the country at the end of June.
Partnered with local telecommunications provider AIS, Disney+ Hotstar is the fourth streaming giant launching in Thailand after Netflix, HBO Go, and Amazon Prime, offering Thai viewers even more diverse content to choose from: from Disney classics, television series, live sports, to original programming.
It’s starting to be a challenge to know which streaming site to pick, especially if you’re on a budget.
We take a look at the different streaming options now available in Thailand, to see which ones serve the best content for you.
Netflix: for the variety of original series and the user experience
Launched in 1997, the subscription-based streaming service reached the Thai market in early 2016, making it one of the first major streaming services to enter the country.
Consistently ranked as the number-one streaming service by Thai users due to its top-quality, “Netflix Original” programming and library of content from all parts of the world, Netflix’s monthly subscription package starts at 99 baht at Standard Definition (SD) quality only on phones and tablets, and then 279 baht per user at Standard Definition (SD) quality for all devices. This is followed by the Standard Package at 349 baht per month, which allows for two screens at High Definition (HD) quality, and the Premium Package at 419 baht per month, which allows for up to four screens with HD and Ultra HD quality.
In July 2020, Netflix became the largest entertainment or media company by market capitalization. This is likely due to the simple reason that Netflix really knows what its audiences want. From coming-of-age dramas like 13 Reasons Why, political thrillers like House of Cards, science fiction fantasies like Stranger Things, LGBTQ+ reality televisions like Queer Eye to K-dramas and Animes, Netflix has continuously impressed with its inclusion of content that all can enjoy, and has signed deals and partnerships to create even more in the years to come.
Netflix does not offer free trials, but you can change your subscription plan any time you like with no additional fees.
HBO Go: for the movie buffs
Catering to movie lovers, HBO Go is an international video-on-demand streaming service offered by American premium cable network HBO to viewers outside the US, launching in Thailand back in April 2020.
Like its mother company, HBO Go offers a selection of theatrically released films from studio giants such as Universal Pictures, Warner Bros, and 20th Century Fox, as well as some top-quality original shows such as Game of Thrones and Westworld, with its one-and-only package deal at 149 baht per month.
Considered by many viewers as their own “at-home Box Office”, subscribers of HBO Go can stream critically acclaimed, award-winning fan favorites such as Mare of Easttown, 1917, Tenet, and Kill Bill.
HBO Go also offers a free seven-day trial on your computer, smartphone, or even gaming console.
Amazon Prime Video: a whole jungle of content
Amazon Prime Video joined the competition for the Thai streaming-service market in 2020. The subscription-based, video-on-demand streaming and rental service of Amazon.com provides films and television series produced or licensed by Amazon Studios.
Prime Video has a monthly subscription fee of 199 baht, and users can easily sign up by just downloading the app in the App Store with their Amazon account. A Prime Video profile can have up to six users while using three devices simultaneously, and can tune into popular films such as Man on Fire, Flight Plan, The Sixth Sense, and Click! Not only that, users can also check the IMDb ratings of each film and show, as well as their duration, genre, audio and subtitle options, all by just one click, which really does save you the effort of researching.
You can decide whether you’d enjoy Prime Video by subscribing for a seven-day trial period.
Disney+ Hotstar: for the Classics
Set to join our screens on June 30, 2021, the Thai version of Disney+ Hotstar, which originally first launched in India, will feature a variety of Asian content from South Korea, Japan and Taiwan, as well as Thai films, after it signed a deal with major Thai studios including GDH 55, Sahamongkolfilm, and Kantana Group.
The service will be offered at 799 baht per year, but AIS subscribers will be able to join at only 35 baht per month. Apart from the Asian content, viewers can now finally stream some of the original Disney content we grew up loving, from Star Wars, Pixar, Marvel, National Geographic, and Mulan.