The last couple of weeks, it seems like there’s been a lot of talk about “bundling” different streaming services. It’s a pretty big departure from just a couple of years ago. It wasn’t that long ago that people really talked about how they liked the “a la carte” aspect of streaming. Pay for the services you want, don’t pay for the ones you don’t. That was, of course, before streaming costs started getting so high. Today you’ll easily pay over $100 for your streaming services, and people don’t like the high prices.
It was unthinkable…
Not long ago there were so many players in the streaming space that it wasn’t possible to imagine bundling. Of course you have live TV streaming packages like DIRECTV Stream and Sling, and those do come with some sort of on demand component. But, when it comes to “SVOD,” which is the sort of streaming most folks do where they pick something from a library, it just didn’t seem possible.
And then, consolidation started to happen. Disney bought Fox, which gave them majority control of Hulu since they already owned ABC and ESPN. Discovery bought Warner Media, which gave them dozens of streams from Destination America to HBO and CNN. All of a sudden, the idea of a streaming bundle doesn’t seem so crazy.
One bundle to rule them all
I don’t think that we’ll get every possible bundle, but here’s one scenario. Bundle the Discovery apps, the Disney ones, Peacock, and Paramount+. This gives you all three broadcast networks, plus the most popular sources of entertainment. I’m leaving out Netflix since I can’t imagine them being part of this, but who knows. If you could get that one bundle for say, $40 a month, ad free, you would really have something.
But would it be something good?
Avoiding politics at all costs
This isn’t a political blog and this is certainly not a political article. But, there probably should be a discussion about whether or not it’s right to have so much communications power in the hands of so few. A hundred years ago, a group of companies that communicated closely and worked together to set prices would have been called a “trust,” and it would have been illegal. Today it seems like it’s ok. I just wonder if it should be.
Would you bundle?
I’m genuinely curious. If there were a bundle that brought you content from all the broadcast networks, the top sports and premium network, as well as content from about a dozen more sources, would that be all you need? Or would you need to know more? Could you imagine a world where you’d still subscribe to services I haven’t mentioned here? So what then would happen to networks like STARZ, AMC, Britbox, and others who were outside the bundle? What would happen to Prime Video? I don’t see them bundling with anyone. They wholesale other companies’ channels but I don’t see them presenting Prime as an equal among them.
So what’s next? Leave a comment and let’s get the discussion flowing.
