According to Deadline, Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery revealed their plans to combine Disney+, Hulu and Max earlier this year. The WB Boss, David Zaslav (The Adventures of Tachy Dixon), called it a “moment” in the ongoing streaming war, but Netflix did not join. Warner Bros. Discovery has revealed that it has added eight million subscribers to its count and now has 277M globally.
Deadline notes statement in a letter to investors: “We haven’t bundled Netflix solely with other streamers like Disney+ or Max because Netflix already operates as a go-to destination for entertainment thanks to the breadth and variety of our slate and superior product experience. This has driven industry leading penetration, engagement and retention for us, which limits the benefit to Netflix of bundling directly with other streamers.”
According to Deadline, Netflix has cleared up the acquisition by adding, “From the early days of streaming, we saw partnerships with device makers and pay TV and mobile operators as key to ensuring Netflix was easy to find and use. These partnerships are a win-win — making it simple for people to discover, sign-up, use and pay for Netflix. In turn, our device and operator partners benefit through increased device sales from consumers seeking devices integrated with Netflix and greater customer acquisition and higher retention as well as the opportunity to upsell higher value data or content packages.”
According to Deadline, Netflix intends to still bundle with device makers, such as Verizon and Comcast, who have individual plans for the streaming platform. Verizon unveiled that if customers purchase a year plan of Peacock Premium, they will receive a free subscription to Netflix. On the other hand, Comcast has launched a new platform named Streamsaver, which will bundle with Netflix and Peacock and give viewers all a discount on the three.
Whether Netflix’s go-it-alone strategy remains the best approach or how it will evolve remains to be seen.The streaming landscape constantly evolves, and the vast library always adds new series.