07 Aug David Zaslav May Have Just Found a Streaming-Bundle Partner in Paramount+ [IndieWire]
BY BRIAN WELK
August 7, 2023 | Paramount+ is still seeking a profit. You know what could maybe speed that up even more than price hikes and subscriber growth? Other companies’ streamers.
While we’re still in the thick of the streaming wars today, it may not be long before rivals team up to attract — and retain — subscribers. During an investor conference in May, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said he was open to the idea. Count Paramount Global boss Bob Bakish, fresh off integrating his Showtime into his Paramount+, in.
In response to an analyst’s question during his company’s Q2 2023 earnings call, Bakish raised his hand to partner with another platform. He stopped short of commenting on any specific partnerships or timing on whether such a bundle option could come to subscribers.
“We’ve been believers in bundling for a long time. Bundling has been one of the tried and true methods of value creation in media, and certainly as we entered the streaming space, bundling is part of our strategy,” he said Monday. “We’re continuing to look at incremental opportunities in this regard, and the only thing we know for sure is it will be a growing part of what we’re doing.”