The streaming wars are about to become a lot more civil: Rivals Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery are putting aside their differences to offer consumers a bundle of their three flagship platforms. Starting this summer, you’ll be able pay one price and get access to WBD-owned Max and the Mouse House’s Disney+ and Hulu. Importantly, the services will maintain separate apps (though Disney already lets users watch Hulu content on Disney+). And while there will presumably be some sort of discount involved for bundling, a press release announcing the new offering pointedly makes no mention of price or even a cost savings. Instead, Disney streaming chief Joe Earley alludes only to “even more choice and value†in a statement included in the release, while WBD’s JB Perrette touts “the best value in streaming.â€
While this bundle is potentially a big deal, it’s not entirely unexpected: WBD CEO David Zaslav has been talking up the need for rival streamers to bundle and has argued that if the companies themselves didn’t do it, tech companies or internet providers would do it for them. Stay tuned.