Is bundling the future of streaming? That idea will now be put to the test in a big way thanks to a new joint venture by ESPN, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery, which will see the three rivals come together for a new sports-focused streaming platform.

Fresh CivicScience polling data collected shortly following the announcement late Tuesday finds that 37% of U.S. adults would be at least ‘somewhat’ likely to subscribe to the new service when it arrives sometime this fall – including 13% who are ‘very’ likely to sign up (among those aware of the new platform). This is in line with data from December that shows support for bundled streaming services – 30% of the general population already subscribes to a bundled streaming service and 7% is interested in doing so. This interest comes despite the fact that the price of the new streaming platform has yet to be determined. 

Unsurprisingly, the platform has the greatest appeal among younger audiences. Gen Z adults (60%) and Millennials (52%) are more likely to be interested than their Gen X (42%) and Boomer (12%) counterparts.  

CivicScience has been tracking streaming mergers as they’ve been happening, such as HBO Max and Discovery Plus, which found similar results – a little over 3-in-10 were interested in subscribing and it appealed largely to young adults.

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Cord-cutting intenders, those currently without a streaming subscription are eyeing the new service.

Could the new platform be enough to convince sports-minded consumers who are considering cutting the cord to finally take the plunge? While 52% of those who have already cut the cord say they would likely sign up, 28% of potential cord-cutters say they’d consider subscribing to the platform. 

Even with instances of streaming fatigue well documented, nearly 6-in-10 respondents who feel likely to subscribe currently have three or more video-on-demand streaming subscriptions under their belts. The new platform is proving to have enough allure that even 12% of those reporting they’d be likely to subscribe don’t currently have any streaming subscriptions.

The new platform could prove to be a challenge for YouTube TV.

Also recently hot off the presses in the streaming world: YouTube TV’s success with 8 million subscribers, surpassing rivals like Hulu + Live TV. However, its dominance might face quite the challenge next fall with the ESPN, Fox, and Warner Bros. platform, rumored to be priced much lower than YouTube TV’s $72.99 monthly fee.

Indeed, CivicScience data show half of those likely to jump at the new platform are current YouTube TV users and another 11% are YouTube TV intenders. It’s not guaranteed that these consumers will ditch their subscription completely, but with nearly half eying the new streaming platform its clear that impacts are possible.

This new platform joining three major rivals together is most certainly likely to send shockwaves throughout the streaming landscape when it goes live. Given how much consumer interest already exists less than 48 hours after the initial announcement, the media and entertainment industry would be wise to take note and respond accordingly. 

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