Each of us likes using streaming services for watching interesting series in the evening. It’s quite convenient. You can use TV, laptop, or even the phone for watching. However, no matter how convenient and modern streaming services may seem, they also have problems. One of the most important problems of streaming platforms is their focus on the region and thus the availability of one content in one region of the planet and inaccessibility in another one.
Disney + Hotstar is no exception. Disney+ and Hotstar are two of the most popular streaming services in the world. Disney+, launched in November 2019, has quickly gained a following for its wide selection of movies and TV shows, while Hotstar is known for its live sports broadcasts and Indian content. They were combined into one platform later.
If you’re living in the USA and want to start watching these streaming services, keep reading for a guide on how to do it.
Why Should You Use a VPN to Watch Hotstar?
The platform is well-liked for streaming video. But you might be asking how to watch Hotstar if you’re not in India. In any case, the well-known streaming service is unavailable in your country. However, there is a way to watch Hotstar in the USA using a VPN.
A VPN, or virtual private network, is a tool that allows you to change your IP address and access geo-blocked content. This means you can connect to a server in another country and access Hotstar as if you were in that country.
There are many benefits to using a VPN for Hotstar:
- It’s a great way to bypass any geo-restrictions that may be in place. So, now it is not necessary to be in India to watch your favorite series and films. You will simply need to use a VPN to connect to an Indian server.
- It’s a secure and private way to browse the Internet. Your data and location will be kept secret, providing a VPN service to every user.
- It can help you to save money on your USA Hotstar subscription. With VPN, you don’t have to worry about subscribing to the platform since now all the series will be available for free.
Among the other advantages of VPN, there are.
Confidentiality | The service hides your current device IP address and prevents attackers from discovering your location. If you use a VPN with Tor Browsers, you will get even more protection since the address will be dynamically processed through three completely autonomous nodes that do not contain data about others. |
Internet speed | Internet speed without a VPN connection shows higher speeds. However, a VPN service can also show good results, but with a slight decrease in connection speed. Therefore, using the service, you can quickly download heavy torrent files or stream without delay in high resolution. |
Safety | When you connect to an open network in a cafe, gaming hall, or another place with an open hotspot, you risk stumbling upon a hacker who wants to steal your data. To avoid this, use a VPN service that will guarantee additional protection for your data. |
Full encryption of user’s data | With a VPN service, users can surf the Internet and remain incognito. Unfortunately, VPN cannot provide the ability to encrypt data using multiple nodes. But It remains a relevant and secure way to connect to the network anonymously. |
Service price | It’s no secret that VPN services can be both free and paid. Among the advantages of free services are the price and ease of testing, as you can test the service without restrictions. However, they also have disadvantages, such as selling users’ data to set up ads. Paid services guarantee that your data will not be sold to anyone. However, few people want to pay for a VPN. |
Kill switch | This is a relatively new feature available in VPN services, which allows you to instantly disconnect the Internet connection in case of VPN service operation problems. |
What VPNs to Use for Watching Hotstar India?
If you’re looking for a VPN with Hotstar, we recommend ExpressVPN. This provider offers fast speeds, strong security, and 24/7 customer support. Plus, it comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try it risk-free.
Other popular VPN providers that work well with Hotstar include NordVPN, Surfshark, and CyberGhost. All of these providers offer fast speeds and robust security features. And most importantly, they all have servers in India that you can use to unblock Hotstar.
All About Free VPN for Watching Hotstar
You can use a free VPN to stream Hotstar, but we don’t recommend using it. It’s because free VPNs come with many risks. You should be aware of the following:
- Firstly, free VPNs are often much slower than their paid counterparts. This means that you’re likely to experience buffering and other streaming issues.
- Secondly, free VPNs tend to have weak security features. This risks your data being intercepted by hackers and other malicious actors.
- And lastly, free VPN providers often sell user data to third parties like advertisers. This means that your browsing activity could be monitored and tracked.
For these reasons, we recommend using paid VPNs instead of a free service. With paid VPN, you’ll get fast speeds, strong security, and 24/7 customer support. Plus, they often come with a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try them risk-free.
How to Activate Hotstar in the Us?
If you’re trying to access Hotstar from the United States, you may have noticed that it’s impossible without a VPN. This is because Hotstar is geo-blocked in the USA. However, there are a few ways to get around this:
- One way is to use a VPN. A VPN will allow you to change your IP address to one in a country where Hotstar is available. This will trick Hotstar into thinking you are located in that country and let you access the content.
- Another way to access Disney+ Hotstar from the USA is to use a proxy server. A proxy server functions similarly to a VPN in that it will change your IP address and allow you to bypass geo-restrictions. However, proxy servers are not as secure as VPNs and can be less reliable.
- The final way to watch Hotstar in the USA is to use a Smart DNS service. A Smart DNS service will also change your IP address and allow you to access geo-blocked content. However, unlike VPNs and proxy servers, a Smart DNS service does not encrypt your traffic. This means that your ISP will still be able to see what you are doing online.
If you want to watch Hotstar in the USA, the best way to do so is to use a VPN. A VPN will encrypt your traffic and hide your IP address, making it impossible for your ISP to track what you are doing online. Additionally, a VPN will allow you to bypass geo-restrictions and access Hotstar from anywhere in the world.
If you’re looking for a VPN for Hotstar, we recommend ExpressVPN. This provider offers fast speeds, strong security, and 24/7 customer support. Plus, it comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. It means you can try it risk-free.
Here’s how to use ExpressVPN to watch Hotstar in the USA:
- Sign up for ExpressVPN and download the app on your preferred device.
- Connect to a server in India.
- Go to hotstar.com, sign up, or log in with your existing account details.
- Start streaming your favourite Hotstar content!
Don’t have a Hotstar account? No problem. You can still sign up for one and use ExpressVPN to watch Hotstar in the USA. Just follow these steps:
- Go to hotstar.com and click on the Sign-Up button.
- Enter your email address and create a password.
- Select India as your country and enter an Indian mobile number. You can get a virtual number from sites like second-number.com or mysmsmantra.com.
- Enter the OTP (one-time password) and click on Verify Number.
- Fill out the rest of the sign-up form and click on Submit.
- Now, you can use ExpressVPN to watch Hotstar in the USA! Just connect to a server in India and log in to your account.
If you encounter any problems, don’t hesitate to contact ExpressVPN’s customer support team. They’re available 24/7 and will be happy to help.
Have Troubles With Accessing Hotstar With a VPN?
First, you should try switching to a different server. Hotstar may have blocked the IP address of your connected server. That’s why it’s best to get a VPN with multiple Indian servers that can reliably unblock Hotstar.
If this doesn’t help, you can try the following.
Disable IPv6 | Not all VPNs are reliable — some may fail to secure your traffic, resulting in IPv6 address leaks, revealing your true location. However, you can prevent that by disabling IPv6 traffic on your device. To do that on Windows, go to “Network and Sharing Center,” click “Change Adapter Settings”, right-click on the network you’re connected to, and uncheck “Internet Protocol Version 6”. |
Clear cookies | Many websites collect your data (like your location) through cookies. Hotstar can use this to identify your true location, even when connected to a VPN. However, you can prevent that by clearing the cache and cookies in your browser. |
Change VPN protocol | Most VPNs offer multiple security protocols using different encryption and tunneling methods. You can experiment with all the available protocols until you find something that works. Generally, OpenVPN is preferred because it’s stable and reliable for bypassing geo-blocks. However, it’s a bit slower than IKEv2 or WireGuard. |
How to Choose the Right VPN Service?
To enjoy watching the Disney+ Hotstar series and never experience problems connecting to the VPN service every time you need a proper and reliable VPN.
Here is a pocket guide on choosing the right VPN for Hotstar or another service and what rules to follow when choosing a service.
Start small | Define the purpose why you are looking for a VPN service. You can use a VPN for a browser to surf pages, you can play online games with a VPN, or you can stream and download large files. It all depends on the VPN service. |
See available apps | Google the available options and pricing of services online. You can search for terms of use right on the site and read more about it on the service website. |
Read and watch reviews | When choosing a VPN service, it is also important to understand whether it is reliable or not. To do this, you need to collect reviews from different sources. Yes, reviews are often bought these days, but on VPN forums, Reddit, and other boards, you can always find honest reviews about the VPN service. |
Time for a test | Now it’s high time to test your service. For this, use a device containing no sensitive data. Take the device and go to a cafe with it and connect to an open access point with a VPN. Check how well the service works. If you don’t have a testing device, you can use a virtual machine for testing. If this option does not suit you either, you just have to trust the reviews and run the service at your own risk. |
IMPORTANT POINT! Try to avoid free services, as they have been seen selling users’ personal data more than once. Therefore, it is better to give preference to services with payment. They will be more reliable and of better quality. However, you can always read the service policy on the website and understand what types of data they collect and who they sell or don’t sell it to.
After the service test, you can run VPN and use it every day. Keep in mind that it is also better to find a service that will have a kill switch function. It will allow you to instantly disconnect the Internet connection if the VPN encounters a problem in operation. This approach will help you protect your data from leakage.
Bottom Line
Using a VPN to watch the best TV series and movies is not that difficult, although it may take some skill. VPN also provides an excellent opportunity to watch TV shows without registering on the service and allows you to bypass the USA Hotstar subscription to the platform, which saves money and time.
However, for high video quality, fast loading, and no video stuttering, you should only use reliable and proven VPN services. You can find the best service through YouTube videos, reading forums, or personally try out many online anonymity tools.
For the test, it is enough to use a device that does not contain sensitive data you are not afraid to lose. If you do not have a second phone or tablet, you can always create a virtual machine and test the VPN service without any risks.
FAQ
Why is Hotstar closing in the US?
As part of the Disney Streaming bundle, the Walt Disney Company has decided to close its Hotstar operations in the United States by late 2022. Beginning September 1, the massive Media & Entertainment company will divide its content between ESPN+ and HULU.
Is Hotstar part of the Disney bundle?
Yes, all Hotstar content is now included in the Disney Bundle and you can watch it all on Disney+ Hotstar.
What is the difference between Disney Plus and Disney plus Hotstar?
After launching in the United States in 2019, Disney Plus quickly expanded to many other countries, including India. Instead of a dedicated app, Indian users were treated to a rebranding of the existing Hotstar streaming platform as Disney Plus Hotstar.
Why do I need to watch Disney plus Hotstar?
It has a lot of content to offer, especially since it airs most of HBO’s new and existing TV shows. This is in addition to Disney’s growing catalog of original content, classic titles, Hotstar’s local-language originals, live sports, and other offerings.