Apple might bundle its news, TV, and music services into a single subscription

Rumor mill: With so many options available these days, it’s no wonder consumers are suffering from subscription fatigue. For Apple, which has several paid services of its own, one answer is to bundle them together to attract more subscribers.

According to a report from Bloomberg, which cites “people familiar with the matter,” Apple is considering bundling its News+, Apple TV+, and Apple Music together, and as soon as 2020. The site notes that Apple’s deals with publishers allow it to include the News+ service in any future bundles.

Bloomberg also points out that if Apple did combine its $10 per month news service with Apple TV+ and Apple Music, publishers would receive less money as the cost of News+ would likely be reduced.

Smartphone sales have been stagnating for years, leading to Apple putting new focus on paid subscriptions. It recently launched both the $4.99 per month Apple TV+ and the $5 per month Apple Arcade mobile gaming service.

While offering three of its services in one discounted mega-bundle sounds appealing, Apple will still face stiff competition in an increasingly crowded market dominated by the likes of Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime. There are over 100 streaming services available, which has resulted in 27 percent of Americans now spending more than $100 per month on subscriptions—about the same as the average cable customer.

Exactly how much Apple might charge for a bundled version of its Music, TV, and News products is unknown. Separately, they total $24.97 per month, so we might see around $10 knocked off this price.