Hulu is the latest streaming service to be integrated into one of T-Mobile‘s mobile plans, joining Netflix and Apple TV+.
Starting Jan. 24, the $8-a-month ad-supported tier of the Disney-owned streaming outlet will be included at no additional charge for new and existing customers on T-Mobile’s Go5GNext subscription tier. Netflix and Apple TV+ are available on other T-Mobile plans, but the Hulu offer is only for those on the top-end Go5GNext plan, which includes unlimited high-speed phone data and other perks.
The wireless provider says the three streaming services, along with free season passes to MLB.TV, add up to $400 in annual benefit. Customers “get the best value and the best entertainment streaming bundle in wireless — just for being customers,” said Mike Katz, President of Marketing, Strategy and Products at T-Mobile.
Wireless rivals AT&T and Verizon have similar offerings, and bundling in general has taken hold across the streaming landscape as programmers and distributors look to contain costs and stimulate demand.
T-Mobile has shifted away from being a more active packager of streaming video, shuttering its TVision service in 2021. Instead, it is positioning itself as a conduit for video streamers looking to leverage its 5G coverage of 300 million U.S. residents. In the third quarter ending last September 30, the company reported 1.2 million net postpaid subscriber additions, beating forecasts, and increased its full-year outlook for subscriber growth.
Hulu has been part of one of the industry’s most notable streaming packages, the Disney bundle, alongside Disney+ and ESPN+. The service, which recently became fully Disney-owned after the company acquired Comcast’s one-third financial stake, is also in the midst of rolling out a “one-app” integration with Disney+. The set-up was described by former Disney CEO Bob Chapek as a “hard bundle.”
