Millions of Americans are gravitating toward a new way to subscribe to streaming services — and tech, media and cable companies are lining up to take advantage.
Facing a chaotic maze of apps, payments and passwords, people are increasingly signing up for multiple streaming services through a single provider.
Amazon, by far the leader in this growing trend, urges users of its Prime Video service to sign up for and watch HBO Max, Paramount+ and other services through its app. Apple, Roku and YouTube encourage the same — as do cable providers like Comcast.
The number of new subscriptions purchased through one of these third-party apps has jumped 40 percent over the past two years, according to research from Antenna, a subscription research firm. Nearly 30 percent of all new subscriptions are bought this way.
Signing up directly — like through a company website — still remains the most popular way to get a new streaming subscription. But the sudden popularity of signing up through a third party signals the emergence of a new kind of cable bundle, a development that media executives have predicted for many years but that had not yet become much of a reality.
The shift could help reshape the consumer experience. Viewers can go to one platform and find a single interface with shows and movies that are available on a wide array of services, or channels. It also has set off a fight between media, tech and cable companies to try to be the dominant one-stop shop.
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