Consolidation is coming to the streaming industry. Bloomberg has reported that Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery will join forces to offer a super-sized streaming bundle that will include Max, Disney+, and Hulu.
The bundle will go on sale over the summer. Buyers will be able to choose between the ad-free and ad-supported tiers for each of the services. The two media corporations behind the bundle have not revealed a price tag for it yet. If it’s anything like the preexisting Disney Bundle (which combines Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN), it will offer savings compared to the combined prices of the included subscriptions.
The reveal of the upcoming offering comes days after Disney announced it would bring some ESPN content to Disney+. ESPN’s status within the upcoming bundle is unclear, but Bloomberg noted that Disney, Warner Bros, and Fox are planning to launch a sports-focused streaming service “later this year.”
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Consolidation is currently the name of the game in the SVOD world. Max, which would be part of the new bundle, is itself a united version of HBO Max and Discovery Plus.
Many streaming services have faced flattening subscriber numbers, leading to rumors that some of the industry’s biggest names could soon join forces. One proposal is a merger between Paramount Plus and Peacock, which would unite a pair of embattled streamers.
Warner Bros Discovery may be the streaming service owner with the most to gain from a splashy new offering. CEO David Zaslav recently indicated that cost-cutting maneuvers and a Max price hike are in the cards, and layoffs are a possibility as well. Warner Bros declined to comment on specific financial plans, but it did offer Bloomberg a statement on the matter.
“The company is focused on the long-term growth of the business overall,” the statement reads, “including Max, which has been a priority across WBD to expand the original content offerings for our streaming audiences including news originals from CNN, NCAA Men’s March Madness, and NBA playoffs from sports, local language content from international, and a new distribution deal with A24.”
