Comcast’s StreamSaver Bundles Netflix, Apple TV+, and Peacock

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Comcast lifted the curtain on its new streaming bundle, which includes access to Peacock, Netflix, and Apple TV+ at a low price point, but with a few catches.

The bundle, StreamSaver, is available to subscribers of either Xfinity TV, Xfinity Internet, or the streaming-only TV service Now TV. It costs $15 per month when purchased through Xfinity TV or Xfinity Internet.

StreamSaver costs $10 per month when purchased with Now TV, which offers more than 40 live TV channels for a separate charge of $20 per month (bringing the grand total to $30 per month).

“StreamSaver is a home run for consumers who want top-tier entertainment and live sports, and for our world-class partners Peacock, Netflix and Apple who benefit from the reach and depth of our entertainment platforms and Xfinity’s marketing engine,” says Dave Watson, CEO of Connectivity and Platforms at Comcast. “StreamSaver also reinforces the value of our broadband products, offering customers new ways to save money on streaming entertainment via the nation’s best and most reliable network in and out of the home.”

What does StreamSaver include?

StreamSaver bundles three streaming services: Netflix, Apple TV+, and Comcast’s Peacock.

The bundle includes the ad-supported version of Netflix and Peacock. On its own, Netflix with Ads costs $7 per month, and Peacock Premium with Ads costs $6 per month (though the price is going up to $8 per month this summer). Apple TV+ only includes a single, ad-free tier that costs $10 monthly.

If purchased individually, each service would cost customers $23 per month (or $25 per month once Peacock Premium raises its price). At $15 per month, Comcast customers save around 33% each month.

Now TV costs $20 per month and includes Peacock Premium. Bundling Netflix and Apple TV+ costs an additional $10 per month, which Comcast says unlocks even more customer savings. 

Can I remove the ads from Netflix and Peacock Premium through StreamSaver?

Comcast didn’t offer details on whether customers can pay to remove ads through Netflix or Peacock Premium. It doesn’t look like this option is available, but it could be in the future.

Can I get StreamSaver without Comcast?

No. Currently, StreamSaver is only available within Comcast’s Xfinity service footprint and only if customers have at least one eligible Xfinity product.

To get StreamSaver, customers must have either Xfinity Internet or Xfinity TV. To get StreamSaver with Now TV, customers must have Xfinity Internet.

Why is Comcast offering the StreamSaver bundle?

There are a few reasons why Comcast is launching a low-cost bundle with Netflix, Apple TV+, and Peacock for its customers.

First, Comcast wants to make its products more appealing to streamers shopping around for the best home Internet and TV service at the most reasonable price.

Comcast thinks that if customers buy Netflix, Apple TV+, Peacock, and home Internet individually, they’ll likely take advantage of a bundle offer that delivers all four products at a comparatively low price point.

Second, Comcast hopes existing customers will be more incentivized to keep its products if they are convinced to buy an entertainment-focused bundle of streaming services.

In other words, Xfinity Internet customers who use Netflix, Apple TV+, Peacock, and possibly Now TV with a StreamSaver discount are less likely to switch to another service because they would lose the bundle deal and have to buy each service individually.

Last, telecoms like Comcast and entertainment companies (again, like Comcast) have started embracing the bundle to increase customer satisfaction and lower “churn” rates — the metric used to gauge how many customers are disconnecting or dropping a service.

Again, the thinking is that if you can bundle different services together at an attractive price point and offer it to customers who are already purchasing a service like TV or home Internet, customer satisfaction will increase, and churn rates will decrease.

There isn’t much solid evidence to prove that offering a cheap bundle will make customers happier and more loyal. However, surveys suggest that customers like the idea of a budget-friendly streaming package.

What’s in it for the streaming services?

The marriage of Netflix, Apple TV+, and Peacock in a single streaming bundle is unusual because, historically, the three services have competed for each other’s customers.

At least, that’s how things used to be. Now, services are starting to embrace the idea that, if they work together, bundles will increase customer satisfaction, lower churn, and help their top and bottom lines.

In terms of subscribers, Netflix has grown its service about as much as it can. While the company might see incremental growth over the next few years, its financial earnings show that Netflix has topped out.

That is likely why the company recently affirmed that it will stop including subscriber growth metrics in future financial disclosure reports. 

Now, Netflix is focused on growing its advertising business as a way to generate revenue beyond the subscription model.

To do that, it wants to make its ad-supported service tier as attractive as possible, and bundling it through something like StreamSaver is a logical choice for the company to pursue. Comcast’s Peacock is “in” for the same reason.

Apple TV+ doesn’t have an ad-supported model for its video-on-demand content, but it does offer some live events, including Friday Night Baseball games.

Apple is aggressively pursuing domestic rights to more live sports and events, most of which do have traditional ad breaks.

Apple may also launch an ad-supported version of Apple TV+ in the future. Bundling its service with Netflix and Peacock helps it grow the number of customers watching Apple TV+ content and makes it a more attractive destination for potential advertisers over time.

Isn’t this just cable all over again?

Well, yes and no. 

Yes, in the sense that Comcast is offering a bundle of programming at a low price point, which has been the foundation of its business for decades.

StreamSaver is selling streaming services using the same business model that served cable companies well during the start of the pay-TV business.

However, with a slightly different objective: Here, the bundle isn’t the product, but a value-add to another product like Xfinity Internet or Xfinity TV.

You can’t get the streaming bundle unless you have another Comcast product — that’s different from cable TV, which was the product.

The bundle differs because customers don’t have to purchase StreamSaver to access Netflix, Apple TV+, and Peacock — all three services are sold independently. If you want Netflix but you don’t want Peacock or Apple TV+, you can still buy Netflix.

By comparison, if you want ESPN, you have to buy a cable-like service that offers ESPN, which means you’re also going to buy a bunch of channels — usually FX, National Geographic, Disney Channel, and Freeform — that you might not want.

Cable TV bundles are more rigid than streaming bundles, and streaming services offer à la carte and bundle options that cable TV does not.

So, while bundles like StreamSaver might come across as an attempt to replicate the cable TV bundle, it’s an evolution of the bundle for the era of choice, which cable TV never offered.

Do you have any thoughts on this new StreamSaver bundle? Please leave a comment below or take the discussion to Twitter or Facebook.

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Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.