FreeCast is looking to bolster its low-cost content offering, unveiling Thursday a streaming pay TV bundle for only $6.99 per month.
The Value TV bundle touts over 250 channels, which include pay TV networks, free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channels and diginets (or multicast networks). Subscribers to the bundle will also get access to SelectTV, FreeCast’s proprietary streaming aggregator.
The SelectTV aggregator is available on mobile via iOS and Android, desktop computer as well as smart TV devices like Apple TV, Amazon's Fire TV and Android TV. Users can also access SelectTV features from a Roku TV by casting from their mobile device.
"Hundreds of channels don't have to cost hundreds of dollars. The amount of content we provide for this price is just unbeatable, and when you add that to our SelectTV service, it's affordable access to anything you want to watch,” stated FreeCast CEO William Mobley.
“This $6.99 monthly service launches at a time when consumers are looking for value, between inflation and recession concerns,” he continued.
Consumers can try out the Value TV bundle for seven days, gaining access to a variety of channels like Crackle, Local Now, the Country Music Network, GustoTV and others.
Bundles are an attractive option, both for distributors who want to expand their audience reach and for viewers who want to save some money with their subscription services.
Earlier this year, Nielsen’s State of Play report found over half of consumers pay for three or more streaming services, and many want a bundled option that would allow them to choose as few or as many video streaming services as they want.
Some major streaming players already offer bundled options, like Disney with its Disney+, Hulu and ESPN package. While Amazon Prime customers get Prime Video included with their subscription. Walmart this week announced the ad-supported version of Paramount+ will be included at no extra cost for Walmart+ subscribers.
And it’s not just streamers offering bundles. Pay TV service Evoca unveiled in May a Sling TV add-on to supplement Evoca’s targeted “skinny bundle” of local content and regional sports.
FreeCast including its streaming aggregator in the bundle is also a valuable addition, given how consumers are seeking to consolidate their streaming apps. Consumers also like how aggregators provide a single bill for all their services, according to Hub Entertainment Research.