Migration to ScyllaDB Cloud: Why Disney+ Hotstar Replaced Redis and Elasticsearch

Disney+ Hotstar, a leading streaming service with a substantial portion of Disney+'s global subscribers, faced challenges with its "Continue Watching" feature due to a complex data infrastructure initially built on Redis and Elasticsearch, which struggled with scaling and cost efficiency. To address these issues, the team, led by Vamsi Subash Achanta and Balakrishnan Kaliyamoorthy, redesigned their data model using ScyllaDB Cloud, a high-performance, low-latency database-as-a-service. This transition simplified their architecture, reduced latency for data reads and writes, and decreased administrative burdens, allowing them to manage the rapidly expanding user base and content library more effectively. The migration process involved converting data from Redis and Elasticsearch to ScyllaDB Cloud without downtime, ensuring a seamless user experience even during periods of high traffic. This strategic move has enabled Disney+ Hotstar to focus on enhancing user engagement and developing new features, such as platform recommendations and watchlist functionality, further solidifying its position as a major player in the streaming industry.