How the New Disney Bundle Looks to Reinvent the Wheel
Disney Entertainment and Warner Bros. Discovery’s announcement of an as yet unnamed new super bundle reflects the industry’s need to concentrate on revenue and not just subscriber growth.
Last week, Disney Entertainment and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) announced a new streaming bundle that includes Disney+, Hulu and Max. It will be available from the summer onwards in the US and available for purchase from any of the three streaming service’s websites. Both an ad-supported and ad-free plan will be offered, providing subscribers with an impressive selection of content from ABC, CNN, DC, Discovery, Disney, Food Network, FX, HBO, HGTV, Hulu, Marvel, Pixar, Searchlight, Warner Bros., and more.
This is another interesting development in the ever-changing streaming world in the US, and follows the recent sports steaming pact between Disney, Fox and WBD. On my recent trip to the NAB Show, I saw the first TV adverts of Hulu on Disney+ for Disney Bundle subscribers in the US which launched on March 27th.
Following the First-Mover
Hollywood is going through major disruption. These traditional media giants have really struggled to pivot and make a successful move to the streaming-driven future. Initial forays were largely focused on the hope of copying Netflix’s successful and proven strategy of subscription growth. However, the one-size-fits-all approach hasn’t materialised the way they had hoped due to numerous and very good reasons. These include a lack of a broad content catalogue, a lack of distribution and billing relationships, the cost of living crisis, and, of course, more recently the actors and writers strike.