Disney Plus discounted bundle likely with Hulu and ESPN Plus
Frozen 2 is slated for theaters Nov. 22, but it -- and all of Disney's theatrical releases -- are destined to live on Disney Plus for streaming.
Disney said Thursday that it'll "likely" offer discounted bundles of its three streaming services: ESPN Plus, Hulu and its coming Netflix rival, Disney Plus.
The news came during the entertainment giant's two-hour-plus event to unveil Disney Plus and explain its wider streaming strategy. After years of putting streaming in the back seat to protect its big-budget blockbusters and lucrative TV model, Disney has made streaming its top priority this year, even restructuring the company around it.
Though a discounted bundle was an expected move for Disney, Kevin Mayer, the company's chairman of direct-to-consumer and international business, hedged the statement by saying that bundles of two or more of these services is "likely."
Disney's push into streaming is the highest-profile example of traditional Hollywood going to extreme lengths to fortify against competition from digital powerhouses like Netflix, Amazon and -- soon -- Apple. Those deep-pocketed companies have been pouring money into their own TV shows and movies. Digital upstarts have fueled TV cord-cutting and, in Netflix's case, tried to upend theatrical release norms for movies -- all threats to the future survival of companies like Disney.
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