It seems that barely a week goes by without us hearing of a new bid to topple Netflix and Disney Plus from the summit of the streaming pyramid. We recently reported that Apple TV Plus and Paramount Plus could join forces in a bid to take the streaming crown from Netflix, and now a new article from the Wall Street Journal has suggested that Paramount could look to Peacock to take the fight to its key rivals.
According to the WSJ, the two platforms have discussed bundling together both streaming services in a single subscription package. Peacock, a subsidiary of NBCUniversal Media Group, AKA Comcast, has supposedly held talks with Paramount, tabling the idea of merging the content of both respective libraries in a unified package that would be cheaper than subscribing to both simultaneously. With costs rising all the time and subscription fees going up across the board, any whiff of a good deal would be heartily welcomed by financially squeezed consumers. That's the theory, anyway.
While primarily a US-based service, Peacock TV is currently available in the UK, accessible via a Sky TV package or a Now Entertainment Membership, priced at around £10 per month. Being NBC's main service, it offers sought-after TV series such as SNL, Poker Face, 30 Rock and Modern Family, as well as movies such as Shrek, BlackKkKlansman, and even 2023's Oscar-nominated The Holdovers.
The idea of content bundles, either between rivals or sister services, is becoming increasingly commonplace. Disney offers the "Disney Bundle", for instance, which gives US users access to Hulu, ESPN Plus and Disney Plus, all for a slightly streamlined fee. For Paramount and Comcast, though, there's a possibility that this won't simply be a bundle option but a full-blown merger, bringing savings to both respective parties that can be passed on to the consumer.
Bear in mind, though, that these are essentially only propositions and rumours at this point, with Paramount clearly assessing its options as it looks to climb the streaming service ladder. Time will tell which, if any, of its ambitious plans comes to fruition, and the form those plans ultimately take.
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