Netflix, Max, Hulu, Apple TV+, Amazon, Disney+, Paramount+, Peacock, MGM+, AMC+, and Fubo.
That list of streaming services isn’t even complete but still might be enough to make your head spin, and as UPROXX has previously detailed, the lure of churning is real after people realize that they spend hundreds of dollars monthly on a cocktail of subscriptions. That was bound to happen after prices inevitably go up, which has been the case with most streaming services lately, including Hulu and Disney+ as well as Max.
Content does cost plenty of money to produce, after all, and although streaming services have leaped into offering ad-supported packages, those prices still creep up. Adding to that pressure on consumers is how services that previously encouraged password sharing have pulled back and brought down the hammer on those who attempt to stream away from home. Then there are the technical difficulties involved with attempting to use 5G internet with some of the services, and it’s no wonder that around 25% of streaming subscribers have cancelled a service (or more) in recent months.
Obviously, streaming services are looking for ways to make their subscriber bases sticky, so that people are dissuaded from jumping ship from month to month in order to periodically sample new TV shows and movies.
Enter the latest bundle between Max, Hulu, and Disney+. The former two services were already packed up tight together with a new interface to match, and now, Warner Bros. Discovery and Disney Entertainment have announced that they have formally joined forces. According to a press release, the three overarching streaming services will be offered together, which will provide “the best value in entertainment and an unprecedented selection of content from the biggest and most beloved brands in entertainment including ABC, CNN, DC, Discovery, Disney, Food Network, FX, HBO, HGTV, Hulu, Marvel, Pixar, Searchlight, Warner Bros., and many more.”
As of now, the cost of this bundle has not been clarified, but availability will begin this summer for both ad-free and ad-supported plans. As JB Perrette, CEO and President, Global Streaming and Games, Warner Bros. Discovery promises, this mega-bundle “presents a powerful new roadmap for the future of the industry.” Yes, this sort-of looks like cable TV has resurrected itself, but if the price is right, consumers will be there.
Expect more details in the coming months, and we will be all over them.