HBO Max Becomes Most Widely Bundled Streaming Service

HBO Max has become the most widely bundled streaming service globally, with 60 distribution partnerships in 20 major markets, according to new research from Ampere Analysis.

HBO Max is followed by Disney+ with 52 bundle partners, then Netflix with 47. Apple TV has 27 bundle partners in the 20 markets surveyed, while Prime Video has 26.

HBO Max also leads the streamers in the scale of its partnerships, with 303 packages availbale with various partners. Disney+ is behind with 289, Netflix has 263, Apple TV counts 174 and Prime Video offers 161.

The bundle partnerships differ across regions. In North America, Disney+ features the most bundling options, while Netflix leads in Western Europe. HBO Max’s partnerships are concentrated in Central and South America and Central and Eastern Europe.

A significant number of HBO Max partnerships take the form of “hard” bundles, which account for 44 percent of the service’s partnerships. Hard bundles are packages in which the streaming service is included as a fix component and cannot be disaggregated.

“HBO Max’s strong bundling footprint reflects the continued importance of operator relationships in streaming distribution,” said Jaanika Juntson, research manager at Ampere Analysis. “As competition between platforms intensifies, partnerships with telcos, pay-TV providers and other streamers are becoming an increasingly important tool for expanding reach in saturated markets. For streaming platforms, these partnerships provide an important way to reach new audiences while reducing subscriber acquisition costs as well as aiding retention.”