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Business News Digital
Apple could launch bundled subscriptions this autumn
By Chris Cooke | Published on Friday 14 August 2020
Apple will launch its long expected service bundles this autumn, according to a report in Bloomberg. It will mean that subscribers can access multiple digital services from Apple via one subscription, saving money in the process.
Such bundling has been expected ever since Apple started expanding the range of digital services it offers. And as a test, last year, access to the then new Apple TV+ service was bundled in with student subscriptions to Apple Music in the US.
The aim of such bundling, of course, is to up sell each subscription service to existing users of the others. So to persuade Apple Music subscribers to sign up for TV-on-demand, or vice versa, and so on.
Quite what variations will be available remain to be seen, though Bloomberg reports that “a basic package will include Apple Music and Apple TV+, while a more expensive variation will have those two services and the Apple Arcade gaming service. The next tier will add Apple News+, followed by a pricier bundle with extra iCloud storage for files and photos”.
From a music industry perspective, the bundling is interesting for two reasons. First, will it be an effective driver of new subscribers for Apple Music. And second, how much of a bundled subscription will be allocated to the music side, and what impact does that have on the total monies generated by Apple Music that are then shared out with the music industry.
