Disney has expanded its content supply deal with Bell Media in Canada to offer a new streaming bundle that includes Disney+, Crave and TSN, starting later this year.
The new Canadian bundle follows a landmark deal between cable giant Charter Communications and Disney to offer Spectrum Select TV subscribers access to Disney+ at no additional cost.
Pricing and launch timing on the new Canadian bundles for Bell Media subscribers has yet to be revealed, but the offerings will include original series and content from HBO and Max, the Crave streaming platform in Canada, Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic and TSN, the Canadian sports channel.
The Canadian deal involving Disney and Bell Media continues an industry trend where streaming services are increasingly combined and marketed to subscribers for savings amid continuing cable cord cutting and consumers and ad dollars shifting online. And Bell Media is looking to offset declining Canadian viewership for traditional linear TV channels with more inroads into the streaming space.
“We’re excited to expand our longstanding relationship with Bell Media, through these new offerings, making Disney+ even more accessible across Canada,” Shawn Praskey, vp, content sales & distribution in Canada said in a statement.
Bell earlier this year launched new Crave subscription package that bundles in TSN sports content, with pricing starting at CAN$21.99 (US$16.10) a month. And Disney+ is available in Canada starting at CAN $8.99 (US$6.60) a month.
The Disney+, Crave, TSN bundle will give subscribers access to original series like HBO’s The Last of Us, The White Lotus, Max’s And Just Like That and Hacks, Disney+’s Only Murders in the Building and Lucasfilm’s Andor. Upcoming series include HBO’s A Night of the Seven Kingdoms, the Game of Thrones spinoff, and season 3 of Euphoria.
And TSN, which competes north of the border with rival Sportsnet from Rogers, will toss into the bundle NFL, NBA, FIFA World Cup games, F1 races and regional NHL games, among other content.