By Ahmad Hathout
Telus announced Thursday it has launched a new trio streaming bundle for those who want certain streaming services in one package.
The newest edition to the Stream+ roster includes a Stream+ Basic option, which includes Netflix with ads, Disney+ with ads, and Prime Video, all for $20 per month; and a Stream+ Premium option that doesn’t include ads for the former two services for $38 per month.
The bundled package also includes a full membership to Amazon’s Prime fast-shipping service, which comes bundled with the ecommerce giant’s video service. Amazon announced it will be running ads on its video service for its “free” version later this month, with an option to pay a little more for the service sans ads.
Telus’s bundle will include the ad-supported Prime Video starting in February, a spokesperson told Cartt.
“In an era of multiple streaming options, bundling your favourite streaming services into one subscription to save money each month is a no brainer,” Dwayne Benefield, Telus’s senior vice president of mobility and home products and transformation, said in a press release. “Canadians will now be able to enjoy thousands of top titles from the three most popular streaming services, at savings you can’t find anywhere else. And in the coming months, Stream+ will be further enhanced to give Canadians the ability to fully customize their entertainment experience by adding other streaming service providers to their bundle to enjoy even more savings.”
Telus has an existing Stream+ bundle with Netflix, Discovery+, and AppleTV+, which the company spokesperson told Cartt is still available for purchase for Telus mobility customers by “calling in or going in-store.”
“Existing customers currently subscribed to the previous Stream+ bundle including Netflix Premium, AppleTV+ and discovery+ can choose to keep this bundle at the same price, or switch their subscription over to the new offering,” the spokesperson added.
The appeal in this type of bundle is not just convenience, but also its reduced price compared to if the subscriber were to purchase each of the services separately.
And Telus has said it wants to ensure a market for this type of service can flourish in Canada without being encumbered by regulatory obligations.
During the CRTC’s hearing on the implementation of the Online Streaming Act regulations, Telus warned the commission not to impose a base financial contribution requirement on these types of virtual broadcasting distribution undertakings – or at least not onerous conditions of operation – so as not to stifle their growth in the Canadian market.
Telus said Thursday that it is “disrupting the Canadian entertainment market” with these packages.
