- The Great Rebundling: A New Era of Strategic Partnerships in Streaming
- Rising Prices and Subscriber Volatility: The New Reality for Consumers
- Major U.S. Streaming Services Pricing
- Worldwide Film & Television Distribution Intelligence
- The Rise of Ad-Supported Streaming: A Key Strategy Amid Rising Prices
- FilmTake Away: How Streaming Mirrors the Reversion to Cable TV Models
Streaming platforms like Disney+, Hulu, and Max are forging partnerships in what many call “The Great Rebundling.” With the streaming wars winding down, legacy companies are turning to collaboration to stay competitive in an oversaturated market.
At the same time, consumers are facing rising subscription costs, leading many to embrace ad-supported tiers and adopt a “churn-and-return” approach—canceling and resubscribing based on desired content. In this shifting environment, partnerships and bundling are no longer just business tactics—they’re essential survival tools for navigating a challenging market for streaming platforms.
The Great Rebundling: A New Era of Strategic Partnerships in Streaming
As the streaming wars wind down, a new trend has emerged in the SVOD market—what many call “The Great Rebundling.” While this doesn’t signal a total return to the days of traditional cable, it does mark a significant shift in the strategies of legacy media companies, who are increasingly collaborating to stay competitive in a saturated market.
In July, the launch of a Disney+, Hulu, and Max bundle was groundbreaking, representing the first direct partnership between major SVOD rivals. This joint venture is likely beginning a broader trend as other streaming platforms explore similar collaborations. Paramount, for example, is actively seeking a streaming partner ahead of its sale/merger with Skydance and could see significant financial gains by bundling its content with a platform like Peacock.
For companies considering such partnerships, the key is to ensure that bundling strategies complement their existing offerings without cannibalizing their subscriber base. The integration of Hulu’s content into Disney+ is a prime example of a successful partnership—by adding more adult-oriented and generalized programming to Disney+, the company has significantly increased subscriptions. These types of strategic moves are set to shape the next phase of the streaming industry, as companies look to retain subscribers and drive profitability through collaboration.
Rising Prices and Subscriber Volatility: The New Reality for Consumers
As U.S. streamers struggle to achieve profitability, consumers have faced steady price hikes across various SVOD platforms. This ongoing inflation, once rare in a landscape dominated by promotional discounts, now reflects an industry-wide push to boost revenue through price increases, often tied to high-profile programming. While this may help streaming services generate short-term gains, it comes with a cost—subscriber volatility.
Major U.S. Streaming Services Pricing
For instance, Max raised its subscription prices just days before the release of "House of the Dragon" Season 2, and Peacock followed suit with an increase aligned with the 2024 Summer Olympics. These strategic price hikes around marquee events highlight a trend where services capitalize on major content drops to drive revenue.
However, consumer tolerance for rising streaming costs may be reaching its limit. Survey data consistently shows that many users are nearing the ceiling of what they are willing to spend on multiple platforms. In response, savvy subscribers have adopted a strategy known as "churn and return," where they cancel and resubscribe to services based on the content they want to watch at any given time. This cyclical behavior will likely prompt streamers to continue pushing prices higher, aiming to extract maximum value from users who may only subscribe temporarily.
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Worldwide Film & Television Distribution Intelligence
Get unparalleled access to market intelligence reports that draw on financial data and insights from dozens of content distribution deals worldwide between key industry participants, including — Distributors, Producers, MPVDs, and Streaming Exhibitors.
Film and Series distribution rates and terms deriving from dozens of agreements for rights to transmit films and episodic television via PayTV and SVOD.
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Licensing Terms & Included Programs:
Pay-1 & SVOD Rate Cards for Motion Pictures and Series Exhibited Worldwide in Multiple Availability Windows
- Motion Pictures: Pay-1, First Run, Second Window Features, Recent Library Features (Tiers AAA,A,B,C), Library Features (Tiers AAA,A,B,C), Current and Premium Made-For-TV Films and Direct-To-Video Films, covering many license periods over the last decade
- Episodic TV: Current, Premium, Premium Catalog (1HR & 1/2HR), Catalog Series (1HR & 1/2HR), and Catalog Miniseries + Case Studies on Current Mega Hit, Catalog Mega Hit, and Premium Catalog, covering many licensing terms from 2012-2024
- Because most-favored-nation rates operate in practice, the rates and terms apply to a diverse range of content and distributors worldwide in multiple availability windows.
The Rise of Ad-Supported Streaming: A Key Strategy Amid Rising Prices
As SVOD prices continue to climb, more consumers are turning to ad-supported streaming options, which present a cheaper alternative while allowing streamers to maximize revenue. This shift benefits streaming platforms, as an ad-supported subscriber can often generate more income than one paying for an ad-free experience.
Almost every major U.S. streaming service now offers an ad-supported tier, with Apple TV+ as the notable exception. Meanwhile, Amazon recently introduced ads on Prime Video, sparking mixed reactions. However, Amazon's early success with advertisers could push Apple to reconsider its premium, ad-free stance and introduce an AVOD tier shortly.
Engagement is critical to the success of ad-supported streaming, particularly as advertisers prioritize impressions. Apple, which has struggled with user engagement, will need to improve in this area if it chooses to enter the AVOD market. As subscriber growth becomes less critical, platforms will likely focus on time spent watching content—a key metric shaping the future of ad-supported streaming models.
FilmTake Away: How Streaming Mirrors the Reversion to Cable TV Models
In a rapidly evolving streaming landscape, partnerships, bundling, and ad-supported models are becoming the cornerstones of future growth. As legacy media companies like Disney, Hulu, and Max team up to create value-driven bundles and telecom providers like Verizon push subscription aggregation, the industry is shifting away from the standalone subscription model. This new era of collaboration helps platforms retain subscribers and offers consumers more affordable and flexible options.
As streaming prices rise and consumer behavior leans toward the "churn-and-return" approach, the success of these strategies will depend on how well companies can balance cost, content, and engagement. With competition at an all-time high, the ability to innovate and adapt through partnerships and new pricing models will determine which platforms thrive in this crowded market. The "Great Rebundling" is not just a trend—it's the new playbook for survival in the streaming world.