You Can Get a Disney+, Hulu, Max Bundle Now

We now know more about the streaming throuple that Hulu, Disney+, and Max are forming. This morning Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery announced several new details about their combined bundle offering — which they’re making available immediately. Starting today you can sign up for the new Disney+, Hulu, Max Bundle (though we personally think Hulu should go first!) for either $16.99 per month for the ad-supported plan or $29.99 per month for the ad-free plan. Here’s how the new plans work, even if you already subscribe to either one of the services or another bundle already.

How does signing up for the new bundle work? Do I need to download a new app?

It’s one payment, but shows and movies will still be split across the companies’ two separate apps — the recently merged Hulu on Disney+ and Max — using an account for each. You can use the Hulu app to watch HBO titles, since it has a Max add-on already, or use Hulu on Disney+ to watch Hulu stuff on that app, but there’s currently no functionality that allows you to use only one app for all three services.

How much does the bundle cost compared to the other services?

The two companies note that the bundle is 38 percent cheaper than buying subscriptions for all three services separately. The ad-supported bundle, in fact, costs the same as buying an individual ad-free plan for Max. Depending on your tolerance for ads, maybe it’s a worth a switch to add shows like X-Men ’97 or Sh�gun to your HBO binges.

Here’s a breakdown of prices of the bundle and the individual services:

Disney+, Hulu, Max Bundle plans

Disney+ individual plans

Hulu individual plans

Max individual plans

How many devices can you use the bundle on simultaneously?

The device allowance for this bundle is that you can stream on up to four devices at the same time with Disney+, but only two at the same time for Hulu and Max. Weird, right? We hear they differ because the bundle is based on the previous device allowance for each platform.

What if I’m already paying for another bundle — like one that has ESPN+?

It’s important to note that this bundle doesn’t neatly stack onto the previously existing plans offered by Disney+ or Max. For example, Max’s individually billed Ultimate Ad-Free plan listed above allows for 4K, Dolby Atmos, and more simultaneous streams; it is not supported within the new Disney+, Hulu, Max Bundle.

The same goes for those subscribed to one of Disney’s several other bundles, such as the Disney Bundle Trio Premium, which (confusingly) includes Disney+ and Hulu ad-free and ESPN+ with ads. You can’t get ESPN+ through the Disney+, Hulu, Max Bundle, so you’ll lose it if you switch from one of the Disney Bundle plans that include it. In this scenario, you’ll have to sign up for ESPN+ separately, in addition to the new bundle, if you want all four streamers.

Existing subscribers to the various services have different options for switching their accounts, depending on how they’re billed. Their old plans will continue if they are not managed when you make the switch, so do not forget to cancel an old one if you need to.

Why are the streaming services bundling now?

As we noted in May, this has been coming for a while. The bundle is just the latest move in an industry rapidly consolidating and exploring new — but also obvious, in this case — ways to make money. As Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav put it last summer: “If we don’t do it to ourselves, I think it will be done to us.� Netflix, Peacock, and Apple TV+ have also formed a triad of their own dubbed StreamSaver, available to Xfinity customers, and Venu — a bundled sports streamer from Warner, Fox, and Disney — is forthcoming, not to mention the various cell-phone plans that bundle the services as perks. Will half these streamers exist in five years? We’ll see.

This story has been updated with details about signing up for the bundle.