Bango hints at work with US cable companies on streaming bundles

Everyone in the streaming TV industry is aware that consumers feel overwhelmed with their myriad streaming subscriptions and that it’s a confusing mess for consumers to try and find content they want to watch.

Most people in streaming are also aware that Comcast and Charter have a joint venture named Xumo where they plan to provide an entire entertainment ecosystem inclusive of streaming devices, content and a platform for partners to reach audiences at scale.

Verizon also has a streaming aggregation platform called +Play, which it launched in March 2022.

Now, a company called Bango is hinting that it’s working with Comcast, Charter and Verizon to bring some order to the chaotic streaming landscape.

Bango is a U.K. based company that has been successful doing payment processing for online platforms such as app stores. In the telco space it has worked as a middleman helping content providers get their brands on mobile phones, and it then provides the billing platform for people who become subscribers of the content. It has relationships with such content providers as Netflix, HBO, Disney+ and YouTube.

Bango chart

In addition to doing subscription bundling and carrier billing, Bango also leverages its valuable data. It segments purchase activity on its platform into Bango Audiences. And its customers can use these audience segments to target their products and services.

In terms of service providers, Bango has made public announcements that it already works with T-Mobile in the U.S. and BT in the U.K.

Speaking with Fierce Video last week at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Giles Tongue, VP of marketing with Bango, said he “definitely can’t confirm” that Bango is working with Comcast, Charter or Verizon. But we may see an official announcement related to at least one of these companies in March.

Although Bango has cut its teeth doing mobile payments, it’s now getting into the subscription aggregation business. According to Tongue, Optus in Australia is already using Bango’s technology for “Super Bundling.” 

Super Bundling is more than just a platform to aggregate streaming subscriptions. It can also aggregate other types of subscriptions such as games, music and sports. The company likens its technology to a digital vending machine.

According to a survey Bango did with 2,500 participants in November 2022, 78% of subscription users want one single platform for all their subscriptions, and 77% want to be able to pay multiple subscriptions via one monthly bill. That’s what Bango aims to provide by working through telco and cable company partners.

It says consumers have an appetite for a super bundle through an organization where they already have a trusted billing relationship.

Streaming distribution

Anil Malhotra, chief marketing officer at Bango, said there is a spectrum of attitudes toward maximizing distribution of streaming services. “Disney is the most purist about how its product is offered. Disney is more discriminating in how it wants bundles done,” he said. “Netflix used to be more choosey about how it’s bundled. The politics is really an issue between the telcos and the brands. Sometimes we see deployments taking longer than others. We’re a technical enabler.”