Which Streaming Service Is the Most In-Demand Bundling Option?
New data from Hub Research shows which video service is most desired in a hypothetical bundle of internet, streaming and mobile plans.
The video streaming industry could be on the cusp of a highly transformational period. The bundling craze seems to have officially arrived, as two new cross-company streaming products with multiple services have been announced in the month of May. As more companies decide how best to bundle their services with others, Hub Research has unveiled new data regarding what types of services are being used most by which age groups, and which items are most likely to be included by audiences if they were to build their own media bundles including video streaming, phone and internet plans and more.
Key Details:
- The average consumer uses as many non-video subscription services as they do video.
- Netflix is the only video streamer to make the top five most-desired services in a bundle.
- Netflix and Amazon are the two brands viewers most want to see offer a bundle of their own.
Hub’s data shows that video streaming providers will want to start reaching out to Spotify and other types of entertainment streaming services to create multimedia bundles. Its research shows that the average consumer has 6.6 subscriptions to social video, streaming music, reading, audiobook, podcast, etc. services, as well as 6.3 video streaming subscriptions to services like Disney+, live TV streamers like DIRECTV STREAM and cable plans. Among viewers 18-34, the number climbs to 9.1 non-video subscriptions, and 7.4 video subscriptions.
All graphs courtesy of Hub Research.
The data shows that when given the option, viewers will incorporate much more than just video services into their ideal bundles. Consumers clearly want a way to reduce the number of monthly bills they have to remember to pay, and multi-service bundles that offer internet, phone and TV plans were highly popular among respondents to Hub’s survey.
Participants in the survey were given a list of 16 items and asked to pick five that would make up their ideal bundle. The list included subscription video streamers, cable/satellite/live TV streaming packages, streaming music and gaming subscriptions, and non-entertainment items like mobile phones or home internet. The most frequent item picked was high-speed internet, which 71% of respondents said they wanted in their bundle. The only streaming service to make it into the top five was Netflix, which 65% said they needed in an ideal package.
This is yet another indication that Netflix is the undisputed winner of the Streaming Wars. It has firmly cemented itself in the minds of viewers as a must-have item, and now that it has acquired the rights to stream NFL games for the first time in its history, that perception will be further confirmed.
The data also bodes well for companies like Comcast and Spectrum, which provide internet as well as TV services. Consumers clearly think of high-speed internet connections as must-haves, and companies that already offer them alongside video services provide lower barriers of access to bundles which Hub has identified people want the most.
Which Streamers Do Viewers Trust to Offer Bundles of Their Own?
The two new streaming bundles announced so far this month show just how varied the framework through which bundles are offered can be. For example, the new bundle of Disney+, Hulu and Max will be sold directly to consumers by Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery themselves. Conversely, the combo of Apple TV+, Netflix, and Peacock will be sold by Comcast only to Xfinity internet subscribers.
Netflix is the most popular hypothetical aggregator among all services, as 15% of Hub respondents say they would buy their ideal bundle from the world’s largest streamer. Amazon, which already operates an aggregation platform in Prime Video Channels is second on the list, with 12% of participants saying they’d purchase their ideal bundle from that company. Disney is likely disappointed with its position on the list; only 4% of customers say they’d buy their ideal bundle from Disney, despite the company’s efforts to place itself at the forefront of the bundling trend by offering the Disney Bundle since 2019.
“In the past, content like video, gaming, or music were entirely separate. Today, they are all consumed on the same screens and devices, via subscriptions that compete for the same pie of disposable time and money,” said Hub founder Jon Giegengack. “This research underscores the opportunity for established aggregators like Amazon or AT&T to attract subs with bundles that cross content categories. But it also shows that consumers would readily accept Netflix as an aggregator based entirely on the strength of its brand — something that bodes well for their expansion into live TV and gaming.”
As streaming providers get more and more accustomed to the idea of joining with competitors to offer new video bundles, they’ll have to continue expanding their thinking. Customers value the ability to combine their services and trim down the number of bills they have to pay, and that desire extends beyond simple combinations of on-demand video streamers.
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video is a subscription video streaming service that includes on-demand access to 10,000+ movies, TV shows, and Prime Originals like “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” “Jack Ryan,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “The Boys,” and more. Subscribers can also add third-party services like Max, Showtime, STARZ, and dozens more with Amazon Prime Video Channels. Prime Video also offers exclusive live access to NFL Thursday Night Football.