One of the most significant streaming bundles in the market has officially launched.
The Disney+, Hulu and Max bundle, which will combine Disney’s Disney+ and Hulu services with Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max, is launching today, with both ad-supported and ad-free options.
Disney, which is taking the lead on implementing the bundle, says that the ad-supported tier will cost $16.99 per month, while the ad-free version will cost $29.99 per month.
If users were to buy all three services individually, they would cost about $26 per month for their ad tiers, or $20 per month if they combined the Disney Bundle (which includes Disney+ and Hulu)with Max. The ad-free versions would cost about $37 combined.
The bundle was announced back in May, marking a major team-up from streaming competitors. Until now, most bundles have been facilitated by telecom companies like Verizon or cable companies like Comcast. Netflix, for its part, said last week that while it is happy to work with third-party distribution partners on bundles, it does not plan to develop bundles directly with streaming competitors “because Netflix already operates as a go-to destination for entertainment thanks to the breadth and variety of our slate and superior product experience.”
In the case of the Disney+, Hulu, Max bundle, Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery are betting that the “complementary” libraries on the service will lead to sticky subscribers, reducing churn and boosting engagement.
“We have found that when you bundle together with other content that more people in the family like — on a very basic level — the more often you watch product, the more people in the family that watch the product, the lower the churn,” WBD CEO David Zaslav said in May.
A marketing campaign titled “The Ultimate Bundle Is Here” kicked off Thursday morning, teasing viewers with clips from shows and movies from all three services like House of the Dragon, Only Murders in the Building and Percy Jackson & The Olympians.
The spot (below) ends with Marvel’s Thor saying “this is the greatest team ever” and Only Murder’s Martin Short declaring “the three of us united, at last.”
