In a crossover event I didn't think was possible, Disney+, Hulu, and Max are releasing a bundle. Yes, you read that right: it was announced that Disney Entertainment and Warner Bros. Discovery will be working together to offer a “first of its kind offering” that will make it so you can pay for three of the best streaming services at once.
According to a press release from the two companies, this summer people will be able to purchase the bundle, and it will provide “subscribers with the best value in entertainment and an unprecedented selection of content.” This means shows and movies from networks and studios like ABC, DC, Discovery, Disney, FX, Hulu, Marvel, Pixar, Warner Bros. and more will all be available through one payment.
This plan will also be offered at both ad-supported and ad-free levels, and it will be available to buy on Disney+, Hulu and Max.
Now, while all this is fine and dandy, and it sounds great that we’ll be able to watch all of Disney+’s best movies, Hulu’s greatest series, and Max’s legendary TV selection via one payment (and possibly platform?), I have two major questions.
How Much Will This Bundle Cost?
The first, and biggest, question I have about this bundle is in regards to cost. At the moment, here’s the breakdown of how much people have to pay for the Disney+/Hulu bundle (which covers both a Disney+ subscription and Hulu subscription) that’s been around for a while now and a Max subscription:
- Disney Bundle Duo Basic (Disney+ and Hulu with ads): $9.99 per month
- Disney Bundle Duo Premium (Disney+ and Hulu without ads): $19.99 per month
- Max (with ads): $9.99 per month
- Max (without ads): $15.99 per month
It’s worth noting that if you have Hulu, or one of the above bundles, you can add Max as an add-on for $15.99 per month, and that’s been an option for a very long time. Through that addition, you get “HBO content available via Hulu” while other “additional content [is] only available via the Max app.”
So, if you were to get this bundle, and we were to hypothetically go for an ad-based plan, would it be $19.98? Or without ads, it could be $35.98? I’d imagine that if they are bundling and making a big deal about it, the price would be cheaper than that.
However, considering the rising prices across streamers like Netflix and these three services, I don’t expect this bundle to be cheap. At the moment, there is no listed price for the upcoming deal, however, the press release said “additional details” will be shared in the “coming months.”
Will You Be Able To Use All Three Platforms In One App?
Another detail I’d like the streamers to share in the “coming months” revolves around whether the three platforms will be available on one app or if you’ll need all three.
Recently, Disney+ made it so you can watch Hulu directly through its app. Which means, you don’t necessarily have to have both apps. Also, as we discussed above, if you have a Max add-on with your Hulu account, you can watch some HBO programming directly through the Hulu app.
As someone who pays for the Disney+/Hulu bundle already, I’m used to using the two apps separately and paying for them with one bill. So, I’d be hard-pressed to believe that this bundle will make it so you can use all three services under one interface.
Plus, the press release says that users will be able to “purchase on any of the three streaming platforms websites offered.”
However, the news release does not provide a clear answer yet. If this bundle proves to be successful, and the Max, Hulu and Disney+ partnership continues, maybe they will merge interfaces.
Overall, this news about these three massive streamers offering a bundle leaves me with some major questions, and as a subscriber of all three, I’m very curious to learn more about it.
As we learn more about the pricing and the plan for this bundle, we’ll be sure to keep you posted. In the meantime, make sure to check out the 2024 TV schedule and the 2024 movie schedule to see what original programming is coming to Max, Hulu and Disney+ soon.
