In this photo the Disney+ logo appears on a smartphone screen.
SOPA Images | LightRocket | Getty Images
The package is back.
Disney And Discovery Warner Bros. plans to offer their streaming services — Disney+, Hulu and Max — in a package that mirrors the traditional cable TV package, the companies announced Wednesday.
The latest iteration of the bundle, which will be available this summer, will be offered at both ad-supported and ad-free tiers. Pricing has not yet been disclosed, but the option will be offered at a discount, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Disney will essentially act as a distributor in this case, collecting subscription fees from subscribers and paying a percentage to Warner Bros. Discovery, the person added.
This mix of Max, Disney+ and Hulu will give streaming subscribers access to a wide range of content from the cable TV package. It will include broadcast networks ABC and Fox (Fox, which does not have its own entertainment streaming subscription service, licenses its content to Hulu) as well as cable networks including TNT, TBS, CNN, Discovery Channel, Food Network, Disney. Channel and more.
The offering, reminiscent of the traditional cable TV package that has been upended in recent years and continues to rapidly bleed customers, is the latest partnership between the two media giants in recent months.
Warner Bros. Discovery and Disney’s ESPN, as well as Fox Corp.., have also joined forces to offer a sports streaming service, scheduled to launch this fall.
Earlier Wednesday, Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch said during an earnings conference call that he believed the sports streaming business would likely be lumped in with other entertainment streaming services.
Disney has been offering its streaming services – Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ – as a package for some time. ESPN+ will still coexist with the sports streaming company, but is not included in the Warner Bros. bundle. Discovery and Disney. Hulu content was also recently integrated into the Disney+ platform, although it still requires separate subscriptions.
Max costs $9.99 per month with ads, or $15.99 without. Disney+’s base tier with ads costs $7.99 per month – or bundled with Hulu, $9.99 per month – while its premium plan costs $13.99 per month, or $19.99 with Hulu. Meanwhile, Hulu alone costs $7.99 with ads, or $17.99 without ads.
cnbc
