Being an avid traveler and a lover of Indian entertainment, you are frustrated that Indian TV channels are not available outside the country. Despite trying several methods, you can’t stream channels like Voot, Disney+ Hotstar, and DStv. Because most Indian content is geo blocked outside India.
This is a pity that all these wonderful desi dramas are restricted to India only, and if you live in a country like Australia, the UK, the USA, Europe, or the Middle East, you can’t watch them. However, there is a simple workaround to be able to watch Indian channels in the USA from all local languages, including regional options, such as south Indian tv channels.
Without further ado, let’s look at the list of top Indian TV channels that are not available in USA.
Disney+ Hotstar
Hotstar (formerly Disney+ Hotstar) offers over-the-top video-on-demand services through a subscription model. The service is owned and operated by Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution, a division of The Walt Disney Company.
It was originally launched as Hotstar, a streaming service that carried content from Disney Star’s local networks, including films, television series, live sports, and original programming, as well as third-party content from HBO and Showtime. Hotstar became India’s most popular streaming service with the rapid growth of mobile broadband.
In April 2020, Star India’s parent company 21st Century Fox was acquired by Disney, and Hotstar was integrated with Disney+ as ‘Disney+ Hotstar.’ In addition to the domestic and third-party content already carried on the platform, Disney+ added original programming, films, and television shows from its main content brands, such as Walt Disney Studios, Pixar, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, and National Geographic.
In Which Countries Does Disney+ Hotstar Work?
Aside from India, Disney+ Hotstar is available in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand, which offers entertainment content licensed from local studios as well as Disney+ content. It is also expected that Disney+ Hotstar will be available in the Philippines and Vietnam by the end of 2022.
Currently, Hotstar offers domestic entertainment and sports content from Disney Star in Singapore, Canada, and the United Kingdom; Disney+ is a standalone service in these markets. After discontinuing the Hotstar version of USA in November 2021, Disney announced it would add its content to domestic TV services Hulu and ESPN+.
“It is important to note that Disney+ Hotstar does not offer Indian content in USA due to licensing and distribution rights.”
Voot
Voot is a subscription and over-the-top video streaming service in India, owned and operated by Viacom18. The platform was launched in March 2016 as Viacom18’s advertising-driven video-on-demand service that is available as a mobile app for Android, iOS, KaiOS, and JioPhone users and as a web application for desktop users. Additionally, it is accessible via Roku (for Virgin Media and Sling TV subscribers), Apple TV, Android TV, and Chromecast devices.
In Which Countries Does Voot Work?
Voot is only available in India, the United States, and the United Kingdom, and it offers over 40,000 hours of video content from channels like Nickelodeon, MTV, and Colors. Content is also available in multiple languages, including Kannada, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Odia, Malayalam, Telugu, and Tamil.
“Voot does not provide Indian content in the United States because of licensing and distribution rights.”
SonyLIV
SonyLIV is a television channel owned by Sony Pictures Networks India Pvt. Ltd. It was launched on January 23, 2013, in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
Sony LIV offers 18 years of content from Sony Entertainment Network networks. As a result, you get 700 films and over 40,000 hours of television content in Hindi, English, Telugu, and Tamil.
This platform became India’s first over-the-top video service channel to compose music for a Hollywood motion picture, creating music for the Hindi version of the hit film Passengers, starring Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence.
In Which Countries Does SonyLIV Work?
SonyLIV is available in many countries, including India, Pakistan, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, and Canada. The service is also available in the United States through Sling TV.
“It should be noted that SonyLIV doesn’t offer Indian content in USA due to licensing and distribution rights.” Read here for more details.
MXPlayer
Video-on-demand and streaming platform MX Player is the product of MX Media & Entertainment (formerly J2 Interactive). It has more than 280 million users globally. The platform is currently supported by advertising and offers over 150,000 hours of streaming content in 12 languages, including English, Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu. It is accessible through mobile and web apps.
In Which Countries Does SonyLIV Work?
MXPlayer currently only offers online streaming in India. If you live outside of India, you will not be able to access the site.
In addition to these channels, below are a few more channels not available in the USA.
- Jadoo TV
- Yupp TV
- Ozee TV
- Sony Liv
- Star Plus
- MX Player
- Jio TV
- Star Sports
- Zee5 TV
- SetMax
- Alt Balaji
- Netflix India
- Zee TV
Conclusion:
There are very few Indian channels available in the USA, but as an Indian immigrant who lives in the USA, I am also interested in bypassing geo-restrictions. Thus, watching Indian channels in the USA doesn’t have to be a chore. The good news is that you can stream your favorite Indian channel from the USA or anywhere globally by utilizing a VPN.
Star Maa,
Voot
Zee TV
ZEE5
Disney+ Hotstar
Dstv
SonyLiv
Jiotv
Shemaaro
