Streaming bundles reinvent cable TV

The rise of streaming services like Netflix, Max and Disney+ was supposed to kill off cable. But something funny is happening on the way to the future: Streaming is starting to look a lot more like cable. Comcast said last week it would offer a “bundle” packaging Peacock, Netflix and Apple TV+ together at a discounted rate, The Guardian said, part of a strategy to reduce “churn” — customers turning streaming services on and off in the hunt for the next great binge viewing experience. Comcast’s announcement came a week after Warner Bros Discovery and Disney said they would offer a similarly discounted bundle of the Disney+, Hulu and Max services.

The consolidation is a reminder to consumers “of the simplicity of what they left behind: the humble cable subscription,” Slate said. Cable offered a wide array of viewing choices in one place, for one fee — the original “bundle.” The streaming era farmed out those choices to a variety of platforms. But Hollywood CEOs are now betting that customers miss the old ways. “If we still need to navigate to different streaming services to hunt down our favorite shows, at least we can pay for them all at once,” said Slate.