25% of Americans expect streaming discounts for binge-watching shows

New research on future of bundling shows Americans turning on monthly streaming bills, calling for rewards for watching and even pay-per-minute TV

A quarter of Americans (25%) think streaming services should introduce rewards for binge-watching “streaks”, such as unlocking discounts after streaming a set number of hours or completing a season. That’s according to new research from Bango.

The finding comes from the newly released “The future of bundling waits for no one” report from Bango, which surveyed 2,500 US consumers. It explores the growing demand for streaming services to adopt more varied payment methods, including binge-based rewards, pay-per-hour streaming, and even pay-per minute packages.

The report shows a growing trend of consumers pushing for more flexible pay-per-use streaming options. One in six Americans (16%) now want subscriptions billed on actual usage, such as time spent in an app. One in ten (12%) want to pay for video streaming per hour watched instead of committing to a monthly bill, while 7% would even consider paying per minute viewed.

For many Americans, this is about managing costs. According to the data, 43% say monthly billing leaves them paying for unused time. As such, many are looking for ways to keep their favorite subscriptions, but with more flexible payment options.

Data for deals

While many are looking for usage-based discounts, others are hoping to strike a deal by sharing more data. Around one in five Americans (19%) say they would be open to sharing additional data with their subscription services (such as their viewing or watch history) if it unlocked better deals.

Another one in five (21%) want to see cross-platform credits introduced in future, allowing them to pay for content across multiple streaming services. 20% would also like these credits to apply across all of their subscriptions.

Demand for easier subscription management

The report also suggests a growing appetite for consolidation. More than a third of Americans (35%) say they want a single sign-in and a single monthly bill that covers all their streaming services, suggesting friction with juggling multiple platforms, passwords and payments.

But this desire for simplicity is not limited to entertainment. A third (36%) say they’d like one sign-in and bill to extend across all their subscription types, from retail and food to fitness and apps. The report suggests that the companies who make this easier will become the go-to place where people manage subscriptions, with all the loyalty and revenue that brings.

“Consumers want subscriptions to fit real life. People dip in and out of services, switch up what they watch, and expect pricing and perks to match that reality rather than a rigid monthly fee.

“They want one place to manage what they pay for, and they’re open to the next generation of subscription models that feel more flexible and rewarding, from binge-watch benefits and cross-platform credits to billing that flexes around usage.

“Our report highlights three forces shaping what comes next for subscription bundling: more dynamic payment beyond the monthly fee, new discovery via devices and AI, and a market that’s splitting into those that bundle and those that get bundled. We’re already seeing early signs of this shift. For traditional bundlers like telcos, owning discovery and making access and billing seamless is the chance to become the default destination for subscriptions in the future.”

Giles Tongue, VP of Marketing at Bango

Bango’s new report, The future of bundling waits for no one, identifies three trends reshaping how subscriptions will be sold and managed in the future:

• First is dynamic payment, with consumers beginning to push beyond the rigid monthly fee toward pricing that flexes around real usage and value exchanges such as rewards, credits and discounts.
• Second is new discovery, as access shifts upstream from individual apps to devices, operating systems and AI assistants that can recommend, activate and manage subscriptions on a consumer’s behalf.
• Third is a market split – bundle or be bundled – with the subscription economy increasingly dividing between brands that can bundle and orchestrate access across services and those that are bundled inside someone else’s platform, making bundling strategy and ownership of the subscription relationship more critical than ever.