Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery Announce New Streaming Bundle Plan
By Movieguide® Contributor
Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery have announced a new bundle plan that would see them combine Disney+ and Hulu with Max.
“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, the president of direct-to-consumer for Disney. “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.”
“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,” said JB Perrette, CEO and President, Global Streaming and Games, Warner Bros. Discovery.
“Among other things, the collaborative effort would put the two major comic-book rivals, Disney’s Marvel and Warner Bros.’ DC, together in a cooperative venture,” CNN reported.
A source told CNBC that Disney will “essentially act as the distributor in this case, collecting subscription fees from subscribers and paying out Warner Bros. Discovery a percentage,” adding that subscribers will gain access to “a wide breadth of content from broadcast networks ABC and Fox, as well as cable networks including TNT, TBS, CNN, Discovery Channel, Food Network, Disney Channel and more.”
The new streaming bundle will be available this summer, according to Variety.
“There’s no pricing info or specific launch date at this point,” the outlet continued. “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.”
Disney announced in a press release that the bundle will be available for purchase on any of the three streaming platforms’ websites.
Movieguide® previously reported on other streaming bundles:
When it comes to 2024 streaming trends, it looks like it’s going to be the year of the bundle.
“The Charter-Disney deal was a sign of the times,” said Tim Nollen, a Macquarie analyst.
Nollen was referring to a deal made earlier this year between Disney and Charter Communications. The companies struggled to come to terms over licensing fees pertaining to NFL games.
The dispute ended with Spectrum TV Select Plus subscribers getting access to the ad-supported tier of Disney+ and ESPN+.
It now looks like merger deals like Disney and Charter’s will become more commonplace in 2024.
Disney+ and Hulu are rolling out a combo streaming platform, while AppleTV+ and Paramount+ are supposedly in talks to create a bundle deal for subscribers.
Joe Earley, Disney’s president of direct-to-consumer, spoke about the partnership with Hulu, sayingthe goal for the bundle “is to inspire Disney+ and Hulu standalone subscribers to upgrade to the Bundle as well, once they see everything that can be accessed.”
The Hollywood Reporter also wrote of talks between Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav and Paramount Global’s CEO Bob Bakish and chair Shari Redstone that explored a potential deal between the studios.
- Content: +1Share:
- Content: +2