Streaming News to Keep Your Eye On in 2024

The streaming video landscape is changing rapidly, and 2024 is shaping up to be a year of big changes. With plans changing, existing services merging, and password sharing crackdowns on the horizon, consumers will have more choices than ever before, but they’ll also need to be prepared to pay more for it.

Prime Video to debut ad-supported tier

In the beginning of 2024, Prime Video will begin showing ads on their base-level plan. For an additional $3/month, users can gain access to an ad-free tier. Prime announced that their ads will be less frequent than traditional television. With Thursday Night Football finding its new home on Prime Video, Amazon will be looking to increase revenue from the streaming service.

Hulu and Disney+ to merge apps

Hulu and Disney+ will be simplifying its user interface for those who bundle their memberships. Hulu + Live TV will remain its own app, however all Disney+ and Hulu on demand content will live on the current Disney+ app. While the official merger won’t happen until March 2024, the beginning stages of this transition are already taking place, with a new Hulu tab on the Disney+ interface. They will continue to offer their current standalone Disney+ and Hulu subscriptions.

Disney+ to crackdown on password sharing

Following Netflix’s lead earlier this year, Disney+ announced their intentions to implement user policies that prevent users from sharing their account with anyone outside of their household. Beginning on November 1, users in Canada received an email detailing the password sharing crackdown. However, Disney plans to roll out these new policies across their entire userbase in the coming year.

Bundling galore

Just when we thought TV bundling was a thing of the past, it may be making a comeback. In 2024, you can expect to see even more bundling options from your favorite streaming services. Most recently, Netflix, Apple TV+, Paramount and Max have all expressed interest in bundling their service with competitors. The good news is bundling options like these could enable services to lower their costs and may even pave the way for more acquisitions down the line.