Disney & Warner Bros. Discovery's New Team-Up Is Making Twitter Explode
Earlier this week, Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery announced that they would be bundling their streaming services together. Subscribers will get Disney+, Hulu, and Max for one price, which hasn't been specified as of this writing. The bundle will offer two tiers: ad-supported and ad-free. The collab is set to launch sometime this summer. This is an intriguing prospect, as audiences will have tons of content to choose from and potentially save some money. Despite that, X (formerly known as Twitter) users can't help but point out how this is essentially cable.
"What if ... hear me out ... we get all of the streaming networks on a single service for a flat rate per month? We could call it ... 'cable,'" shared user @emzanotti, hilariously hitting the nail on the head. This is very similar to cable, except audiences only get content from two media giants, as opposed to TV shows and movies from all brands. "Wow what if they all teamed up and you could have access to all channels at a standardized rate," said @Goodtweet_man. Other users are (jokingly?) hoping that the streaming bundle is called "Cable+," poking fun at how almost every other streaming service ends with "+."
While this bundle is making Twitter explode, it shouldn't be ignored that two rival media conglomerates are teaming up to serve viewers. Unlike cable, there's no middle-man here, which means both companies must have done their due diligence to conclude that working together is better than fighting for subscribers. It will be interesting to see if other streamers, like Paramount+, consider this approach in the future.
Disney & Warner Bros. just reinvented cable
Today, there are dozens of streaming services, some cheaper than others. With so many competing for everyone's attention, it can be difficult to subscribe to all of them, which is probably why this Disney and Warner Bros. bundle was created. It's also impossible to ignore how streaming services upended the film and television industry. From disrupting cable to shrinking theatrical releases (which in turn have led to lousy box office receipts over the last few years), streaming services have a lot of blood on their hands, and this decision to bundle them together is a slap in the face to some cinephiles. "Hahahahahahahahahaha they destroyed the entire industry just to have to restart cable from scratch," mused X user @FernieCommaAlex.
The response to this announcement has been nothing short of negative, but some are optimistic about watching their favorite shows or movies more effortlessly. "One service where I can get 'Doctor Who,' 'The Bear,' 'Abbott Elementary,' 'X-Men,' and AEW (eventually) sounds really great," shared @LyricWrestling. While the companies are being flamed, the consumer has to consider their part in this new bundle. Overall, streaming numbers continue to climb as more viewers drop cable, proving that on-demand video is the most popular method of film and television consumption.
Let's also not forget how several shows made for streaming aren't available to watch anymore, which pretty much ruins the idea of exclusivity.