If you – like us – are tired of what seems like ever-increasing streaming prices, Verizon's new subscription bundle could be the shape of better things to come. Today, the telecom giant announced a new $10 per month streaming deal that will give its myPlan customers access to both Netflix and Max – and it will be available from December 7.
However, you don't get the highest quality, ad-free levels for that. Both of the best streaming services in the bundle are the ad-supported subscription versions. But $10 per month is significantly cheaper than purchasing the two services separately, which cost $6.99 and $9.99 per month separately. Additionally, the new bundle also means that customers can now get five streaming services for just $20 per month if they also sign up for Verizon's exclusive $10 Disney bundle (including Disney Plus, ESPN Plus and Hulu).
If The Hollywood Reporter points out that this is the first time in many years that Netflix has offered wholesale discounts on its subscriptions – or at least that seems to be the deal, according to the publication: “the 40% discount suggests that Verizon, Warner Bros. Discovery, Netflix or a combination thereof will help subsidize these costs.”
And that's not all. Apple and Paramount Plus could also join forces.
Stranger things have happened in streaming
The news comes just days after multiple outlets reported that Apple and Paramount were in talks about combining Apple TV Plus and Paramount Plus into a more affordable combination – and as the Reporter suggests, it's possible this could also be a bundle that is offered through a third party. like Verizon. While Apple TV Plus doesn't have an ad-supported tier, reports suggest that Apple wants it to do much bigger numbers than it currently does, and a bundle would be one way to achieve that.
Bundling would help address a major problem for streamers: churn, which is when customers say “HOW FREAKING MUCH?” and cancel their subscriptions. That might just be me, but as subscription prices rise, many of us are taking a hard look at what we spend on streaming and wondering which ones are really worth keeping. Because the services' ad-funded packages generate decent profit margins, bundling could mean slightly lower subscription revenue but more focus on selling to advertisers.
Of course, bundling isn't new to streaming – or even new to TV. It was part of the landscape for cable and satellite subscribers long before video-on-demand twinkled in everyone's eyes. But the new alliances are important because they involve Apple and Netflix, both of which have strongly opposed bundling and both appear to have changed their minds. What's next: Netflix allowing Apple to integrate it more closely into the Apple TV? Stranger things have happened.