American consumers are paying for fewer streaming services now than they did last year — and they’re gravitating toward bundles as a way to reduce prices, according to a new report released by Hub Entertainment Research on Monday.
The report said 52 percent American streamers surveyed are paying for three of the “Big 7” cornerstone services — Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus, Hulu, Max (which is reverting to HBO Max soon), Peacock and Paramount Plus — down from 61 percent who reported the same in 2024.
A big reason why Americans are paying for fewer services: The market has an abundance of free, ad-supported options like YouTube, Tubi and Pluto TV, which are pulling attention and money away from premium subscription-based services. Many offer similar premium content like feature-length films and TV shows, while YouTube has thrived over the years by offering a platform for and financial support to independent content creators.
Among streamers who still have an appetite for subscription-based services, bundles are becoming an important way to access premium content while reducing monthly or annual costs. Streamers who use Prime Video, Hulu and Max said “package deals” were the top reasons why they started using the service to begin with; at Disney Plus, that reason was the second most-important factor.
That probably shouldn’t come as much of a surprise: Prime Video offers access to third-party streaming apps through its Prime Video Channels marketplace, where streamers can add services like Max, Starz, Paramount Plus, AMC Plus and Britbox to supplement the Prime Video experience. Similarly, Disney has long bundled its Hulu and Disney Plus services together at a lower price point compared to the retail cost of each individual service; last year, Disney launched a similar bundle that brought Max into the fold, with all three services charged at $15 per month with ads or $30 per month for commercial-free streaming. (By comparison, the ad-supported tier of all three services cost $10 per month when purchased à la carte).
Hub said bundles help solve another pain point for consumers: Faced with the sheer number of streaming apps and options on the market, viewers are starting to feel overwhelmed. Bundles help manage costs and streamline choices. Three-quarters of people surveyed by Hub said services that let them manage and pay for multiple subscriptions from a single platform was appealing, and nearly one-quarter of streamers said they’d sign up for that option if it was available.
That tracks similar consumer sentiment reported by Bango, a tech firm that helps service-oriented companies like wireless phone providers and cable TV platforms launch their own subscription management platforms. The cornerstone product offered by Bango is the Digital Vending Machine, which allows third parties to link up to subscription services like Netflix, Disney Plus, Fox Nation, Uber One and Nord Security and offer them to their customers from a single point of purchase. Verizon, Comcast and Optus have launched subscription management platforms and offerings using Bango’s Digital Vending Machine. (Bango did not appear to be directly involved with the Hub report released on Monday.)
Other aggregators, including Roku and YouTube, have offered similar subscription management platforms in recent years. Hub said streamers who have access to bundles and all-in-one subscription platforms wind up purchasing nearly twice as many services as those who opt for direct billing. Streamers who pay for services directly purchase around 3.2 subscription-based online video services; by comparison, streamers who pay for at least one subscription bundle have access to around 6 premium video products.
“The promise of entertainment bundles is nothing new,” said Hub Entertainment Research Senior Consultant Jason Platt Zolov. “Attractive packaging and pricing of services has always provided more value and simplicity for consumers – and recent efforts at places like Spectrum to provide these attractive bundles are making headway. We can certainly expect more subscriber growth and retention in 2025 as a result of these bundling efforts.”
“Bundles and aggregation are the most important way that streaming platforms can compete with Netflix or YouTube,” said Jon Giegengack, the Principal Analyst at Hub Entertainment Research. “But it’s critical to remember that the appeal of bundling goes beyond price. The biggest reason people like using aggregators like Amazon Channels is that they can discover and watch content from multiple services, all in one place.”
The report released on Monday is part of Hub’s “The Best Bundle” report for 2025, which is available by clicking or tapping here.
