Max, Disney+ and Hulu Bundle Allows Streamers to Get Back Into Their ‘Lanes’ During Contraction, WBD Streaming Exec Says

In the coming months, Warner Bros. Discovery will be doubling down on bundling. In addition to the previously announced sports bundle with ESPN and Fox, the media company announced a streaming bundle with Disney and Hulu on Wednesday. When asked why the company is making this particular bet, WBD heads emphasized

“The key for us is we need to be prominent in all the major bundles,” David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, said during the company’s first quarter earnings call for 2024. “We want to be in front of all consumers.”

JB Perette, the CEO and president of global streaming and games for Warner Bros. Discovery, noted that in the 2010s, the industry “went down in a very dangerous, financial path” of companies trying to create every type of content for every type of consumer.

“At the end of the day, we know where that lead,” Perette said. “We’re now getting back to all being great at what we do and swim in the lanes that we are great at.”

The executive went on to praise Disney as the “incomparable … world leader” in kids and family and noted that Warner Bros. Discovery’s properties are a leader in premium drama, scripted drama, comedy and nonfiction.

“We can get back to investing in prioritizing our lanes and our key content, they can do theirs. Synthetically, these bundles allow us to do that while still providing the consumer with a very attractive price for the combination of products,” Perette continued. “Even if [the consumers] don’t use a service in one month, they still feel like they get great value, and they might use it the next month.”

Zaslav went on to say that this shift to bundling feels like a “moment” in terms of what the next two years in the industry will bring. He likened the shift to the rise of cable in the 2000s.

“Ultimately, I think the business will look very different in two to three years and it will be much better for the consumer,” Zaslav said.

More to come …

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