Cable 2.0

Just when you thought cable was a thing of the past, used by few, left behind by many in favor of streaming platforms, with ESPN being its only lifeline, it's somehow returned in the form of bundle streaming packages, at least according to The Wall Street Journal.

Back when streaming platforms were in their infancy and cable was a common household item, one advantage (some may consider it a disadvantage) it held over its competitors was its bundle packages. Instead of buying individual channels, cable companies such as Spectrum and Comcast allowed users to pay flat rates starting at $60 for a basic plan, increasing when channels and subscriptions were added. This allowed individual users and families access to a wide variety of content suitable for everyone. 

Courtesy of Slickdeals

On the other hand, as streaming platforms rise in popularity and more companies retract their titles from others, opting to create their own streaming services in an already flooded marketplace, the amount of content on each platform shrinks, limiting it to a company's assets or purchased material. Instead of before, when you could open Netflix and find any title including those of Disney, now one would need to purchase an additional subscription to Disney+ as they now house the franchise. 

As a solution, many streaming services have decided to bundle their platforms, alleviating stress on users when it comes to where to spend money. Disney+ has a deal (Disney Bundle) with ESPN and Hulu that allows shared access across each for 13.99 a month. Meaning users save 44% compared to the cost of subscribing to all three services individually. Paramount+, another contender in the streaming wars, has partnered with Walmart, a multinational retail corporation, providing their service for free with the purchase of a $98-a-year Walmart+ membership. 

Wall Street Journal highlights how no one suspected streaming platforms to fall victim to the same trends as cable. With many platforms struggling to retain and grow subscriber numbers, bundle deals help alleviate some competition as both parties benefit and relieve customer frustration with an influx of subscriptions. The only problem is translating these bundle users to active users.