Two entertainment giants have formed an unexpected alliance, creating a competitive new bundle that could finally dethrone Netflix as the king of streaming.
Disney has combined its two hero streaming platforms – Disney+ and Hulu – with Max, the streaming home for Warner Bros. Discovery content. If you want to know more about this new offer, we’ve answered all your questions below.
You can also read up on a rival bundle, which includes Netflix.
When is the Disney+, Hulu and Max bundle launching?
The Disney+, Hulu and Max bundle has now launched. You can sign up on any of the streaming websites, though billing must be directly through one of these companies rather than through a third-party service.
In which countries is the Disney+, Hulu and Max bundle launching?
Hulu is a US-exclusive platform, so we can assume that this bundle is limited to America.
Max is available in Europe and Latin America, but not in the UK. In addition, Hulu content is typically on international versions of Disney+ via the Star brand.
We may see future bundles in different countries, but that doesn’t appear to be a priority for the companies at this time.
Disney+
How much does the Disney+, Hulu and Max bundle cost?
There are two bundles that you can sign up for. Here’s how much they cost:
- Disney+, Hulu and Max ad-supported bundle: $16.99 per month
- Disney+, Hulu and Max ad-free bundle: $29.99 per month
If you paid for all three equivalent streaming services separately, this would cost $25.97 per month for the ad-free subscriptions, and $47.97 per month for the ad-free ones, so these bundles will make for generous savings.
The Verge questioned Disney on whether 4K will be included in any of the subscriptions, but the company did not provide clarification. From what we can see on Reddit, while Hulu and Disney+ support 4K content, Max streaming is capped at 1080p.
This makes sense, considering that Max has locked its UHD content behind a pricer ad-free subscription for standalone subscribers.
If you already subscribe to ones of these services, than you can upgrade in your account settings.
Martyn Casserly
Which TV shows will be available in the Disney+, Hulu and Max bundle?
As far as we know, there are no restrictions on the content included in the bundle. It will include series and movies from the likes of ABC, DC, Discovery, Disney, Food Network, FX, Hulu, Marvel, Pixar and Warner Bros.
That means you’ll be able to stream the likes of House of the Dragon, X-Men ‘97, Only Murders of the Building, The White Lotus, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Last of Us, The Bear, Bluey, Succession, Shogun and Doctor Who.
In addition, Disney+ will be offering some live sports before the end of the year, so this may also be included in the bundle. Users must pay extra on Max to get sports via Discovery+.
Will the Disney+ and Max interfaces be merged into one app?
In March, Disney+ folded the Hulu interface into its library, so all content could be accessed in one place.
No promise of this has been confirmed for the new trio bundle in the future. However, customers will be able to sign up via all three platforms. We imagine that both Disney and Warner will still want to market their own streaming services, so it’d be surprising if all the content was folded into one interface.
Disney
Why are Disney and Warner launching this new streaming bundle?
If we just take into account official communications, here are the official quotes from each company respectively:
On the heels of the very successful launch of Hulu on Disney+, this new bundle with Max will offer subscribers even more choice and value. This incredible new partnership puts subscribers first, giving them access to blockbuster films, originals, and three massive libraries featuring the very best brands and entertainment in streaming today.
Joe Earley, President, Direct to Consumer, Disney Entertainment
This new offering delivers for consumers the greatest collection of entertainment for the best value in streaming, and will help drive incremental subscribers and much stronger retention. Offering this unprecedented entertainment value for fans across all the complimentary genres these three services offer, presents a powerful new roadmap for the future of the industry.
JB Perrette, CEO and President, Global Streaming and Games, Warner Bros. Discovery
The final quote very much implies that this bundle is being created to drive more subscribers, which according to IGN is hugely important, with both services reporting subscriber losses of millions in 2023 and 2024. Ultimately, it’s a move back towards traditional cable TV – and most likely an attempt to finally challenge Netflix once and for all.
Author: Hannah Cowton-Barnes, Entertainment Editor, Tech Advisor
As Tech Advisor's Entertainment Editor, Hannah is the resident expert in all things streaming, film and TV. Before joining Tech Advisor in 2019, she studied Theatre and Performance at the University of Leeds and created a website dedicated to geek culture and lifestyle. She's also reviewed a whole range of gadgets including flagship smartphones, wearables and styling tools. Outside of Foundry, she's written freelance pieces for Polygon, Metro and Den of Geek, and is proud to be a Women Techmakers Ambassador for Google.