It has been reported that business heads at Apple and Paramount are in early talks to combine their streaming services together. This comes after Apple and Paramount have collaborated on recent high-profile film releases like Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon.
After diminishing returns in a competitive streaming climate, their next move may put Apple TV+ and Paramount+ in the same subscription plan.
Streaming Saturation
While a savvy move by Apple and Paramount, the news has reignited speculation about the streaming industry. After nearly every broadcaster and movie studio launched its own streaming service, the market seems increasingly saturated.
Online content is the future, both on and off TV, as entire industries have found success with the on-demand entertainment formula. This made streaming services so popular, along with other industries online like iGaming or non-streamer video-sharing sites.
In iGaming’s case, users can engage with Paddy Power Megaways™ Slots and hundreds of other games too, in their own time and from the comfort of home. Streaming tapped into that appeal, allowing consumers to fit their Netflix binging into their schedule.
At-home streaming services are fighting for a different kind of market share than strictly online entertainment. It’s not enough for them to be freely available to consumers, they’re fighting for the prized household television.
This means they’re bringing on-demand benefits to a more formalized content industry, where they need to compete with cable and streaming market leaders like Netflix and Disney.
When each offers exclusive content, at a price, it’s impossible to engage with all of them. This runs the risk of reinventing cable TV, something The Washington Post has noticed too.
Apple TV+ And Paramount+ Gain Subscribers
Apple TV+ was launched in 2019, a year replete with streaming service launches. In a bid to dim Netflix’s shine, Apple found itself competing with Disney+, BET+ and AMC Theatres on Demand, which was quickly followed by AMC+ for show content.
As for Paramount+, it is technically the older of the pair, going by CBS All Access from 2014 to 2021. They were also ahead of the curve when it came to original programming, starting in 2016. Today, both services have added live sports and news coverage, and a roster of original hits.
In today’s competitive climate, both streamers may be looking to merge their services via a bundle, where one subscription covers both platforms. In the third quarter of 2023, both Apple TV+ and Paramount+ made surprising gains as per a Kantar Entertainment on Demand report.
It signaled an upward trend for both services, as they led in new paid subscribers. This may indicate that a re-bundling isn’t a sign of weakness, but a tactic to ride this newfound momentum further.
The Future Of Bundled Streaming
It remains to be seen if Apple and Paramount’s re-bundling gambit will pay off, or even happen at all. Any news of bundled video-on-demand streamers is often met with concern. Not concern for the individual companies involved, but for the sector at large if bundling becomes a habit.
Alongside the Apple-Paramount news, Disney+ has also begun the process of merging Hulu with the service, along with a bundle that includes ESPN+. Disney owns Hulu and ESPN, so it’s purely housekeeping on their part, but it adds to the trend, nonetheless. In the future, expect more consolidation of streaming services until a handful of options remain, mirroring the pay television networks of old.
#DisneyPlus and #Hulu join forces for an all-new bundle.
Stream iconic classics and the hottest releases with the #DisneyBundle.
— Disney+ (@DisneyPlus) December 8, 2022
