Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery — ordinarily rivals for consumers’ time and money — are teaming up for a triple-play bundle of Disney+, Hulu and Max.
The companies announced a new streaming bundle comprising Disney+, Hulu and Max will be available this summer in the U.S. There’s no pricing info or specific launch date at this point. Disney and WBD said the bundle will be available for purchase on any of the three streaming platforms’ websites and offered as both an ad-supported and ad-free plan.
The apps and content from each company will remain separate. Disney recently integrated Hulu content into Disney+ for customers who have both services. Note that Hulu already has agreements to sell add-on subscriptions for Max and Paramount Global’s Paramount+ With Showtime.
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The Disney+, Hulu and Max bundle will offer “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,” the companies said Wednesday.
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Disney and WBD also have joined forces — along with Fox Corp. — to launch a streaming sports bundle, which is slated to debut this fall. Critics have alleged the joint venture, which some have dubbed “Spulu” (a combo of “sports” and “Hulu”), is anticompetitive and violates antitrust law.
As streaming has fueled the steady erosion of the pay-TV industry, the moves by otherwise competing media companies to partner up on streaming bundles looks like an attempt to reconstitute cable TV. But both Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery have touted the benefits of bundles by boosting engagement and lowering churn (i.e., cancelation rates). The perk for consumers is typically a discounted price compared with paying for individual services separately.
“On the heels of the very successful launch of Hulu on Disney+, this new bundle with Max will offer subscribers even more choice and value,” said Joe Earley, president of direct to consumer at Disney Entertainment. “This incredible new partnership puts subscribers first, giving them access to blockbuster films, originals, and three massive libraries featuring the very best brands and entertainment in streaming today.”
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Warner Bros. Discovery's JB Perrette, CEO and president of global streaming and games, added, “This new offering delivers for consumers the greatest collection of entertainment for the best value in streaming, and will help drive incremental subscribers and much stronger retention. Offering this unprecedented entertainment value for fans across all the complimentary genres these three services offer, presents a powerful new roadmap for the future of the industry.”
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