Apple may soon bundle Apple TV+, News+ and Apple Music – report

The wide proliferation of different streaming services has led to a rebundling trend that Apple could soon follow, according to a report from Bloomberg.

The publication cited people familiar with the matter who said Apple as soon as 2020 could begin offering its Apple Music, News+ and Apple TV+, its recently launched video streaming service, as a bundle. The publishers working with News+ would likely earn less as part of the deal since Apple would charge less for News+ when including it in the bundle.

As Bloomberg points out, Apple has already experimented with giving away free Apple TV+ access to students who subscribe to Apple Music. But Apple’s reported attempt to consolidate billing and reduce costs for its myriad online services also serves as another example of a wider trend in streaming video.

RELATED: Roku debuts discounted Showtime and Starz bundle

Most recently, Roku began selling a reduced cost bundle of Showtime and Starz. The two premium services cost $16.99 together after a seven-day free trial, which is approximately $3 less than it would cost to purchase them both individually. The deal arrives shortly after a report suggesting that Showtime was in discussions with Roku and others about service bundles.

Disney+, which launched this week priced at $6.99/month or $69.99/year, is also being offered as part of a specially priced $12.99/month bundle with Hulu and ESPN+.

At least one analyst believes, given the influx of streaming options including the upcoming HBO Max and Peacock, that internet service providers will eventually begin offering streaming services in a package deal with broadband access.

“In our opinion, however, ISPs that can create product bundles will be a lot more effective than those creating price bundles but the only company which has invested in this among ISPs is Comcast,” wrote Barclays analyst Kannan Venkateshwar in a research note.