The next wave of subscription bundling is here

Streaming may have started the subscription boom but the next wave is more diverse, dynamic, and demanding. From AI assistants and budgeting apps to premium social platforms and wellness services, subscribers are building their own personalized and varied subscription stacks. And they expect to manage all of them in one place.

Our new ebook ‘Bundling: the next wave of subscriptions‘ lifts the lid on how bundling is evolving beyond subscription video-on-demand, and why this shift presents a significant growth opportunity for businesses in the subscription economy.

What the data shows

#1 Subscribers are already building their own bundles

Our research shows that consumers are moving beyond category silos:

• 44% of social media subscribers also pay for a gaming service
• 28% of online learners subscribe to an AI assistant like ChatGPT Pro
• 34% of fitness app users also subscribe to food delivery boxes
• 24% of gamers pay for premium social platforms, and 18% also subscribe to AI tools
• 81% of book fans also subscribe to at least one video streaming service

#2 But they want an easier way to manage them

Consumers are building hybrid stacks that reflect their interests and lifestyles. And they’re calling out for a simpler way to manage them:

• 71% of subscribers say providers should “combine forces”
• 62% would rather buy a bundle than source subscriptions individually
• 63% want a single platform to manage all their subscriptions

#3 Bundling unlocks major growth for emerging subscription categories

Services in categories like AI, finance and wellness are still in the early stages of their bundling journey. But they’re perfectly positioned to scale.

The data shows that there is a gap in the market waiting to be served:

• 47% of gamers don’t yet pay for a gaming subscription
• Only 25% of wellness enthusiasts subscribe to health services
• Just 15% of investors pay for financial tools

Tapping into ‘forever subscriptions’

Meanwhile, 70% of US subscribers say they already have at least one subscription they never plan to cancel. While streaming platforms have long held that coveted status, the door is now open for services beyond entertainment to do the same.

For newer categories, the challenge is clear: How do you become one of those subscriptions consumers never let go of?

To earn forever-subscription status, a service must stay relentlessly relevant, solving a need so well it becomes the default choice (think Netflix for SVOD). It also needs to be discoverable wherever customers already spend time and money. Universal appeal only turns into must-have value when people can find you effortlessly, so the competitive edge is surfacing at every customer touchpoint: inside trusted content hubs, at partner checkouts, or through bundles woven directly into your own app, while stripping away any friction to stay.

Now is the chance to think past the obvious: ‘streaming plus music’ template. Meet them in the channel they trust, remove billing friction, and your service graduates from nice-to-have to non-negotiable.

Providers are taking control of their own bundling strategy

Super Bundling hubs like Verizon MyPlan & MyHome, run by resellers such as telcos and retailers, have often been the fast lane to scale in the subscription economy. Now, subscription providers themselves are taking the lead.

Rather than waiting to be included in someone else’s bundle, leading digital services are beginning to build their own. As shown by the recent SiriusXM / Fox Nation bundle, subscription services are actively curating bundles that align with their audience’s needs.

This doesn’t mean going it alone. Many are combining these bilateral partnerships with integrations into larger bundling hubs – a hybrid strategy that boosts reach, enhances flexibility, and strengthens data insight.

How to scale fast with the Digital Vending Machine (DVM™) from Bango

And with tools like the Bango DVM, providers can do both: launch their own bundles and plug into the world’s largest bundling ecosystem with a single integration.

Non-streaming services are perfectly positioned to capture the next wave of subscriber growth. They are trusted, familiar, and, most importantly, still largely unbundled.

The Bango DVM is the platform powering the world’s largest bundling ecosystem. It offers a fast, flexible way to join bundling hubs and:

• instantly reach new audiences across telcos, retailers and resellers
• combine with complementary services to increase stickiness and ARPU
• use built-in analytics to track bundle performance, test offers and optimize ROI

As subscribers demand more convenience, flexibility and value from their digital services, the ability to combine offers intelligently and at scale will undoubtedly define this next era.

Don’t miss the full ebook

Download Bundling: the next wave of subscriptions to discover:

• The most in-demand cross-category bundles
• Where the biggest untapped audiences lie
• How to earn ‘forever’ status with today’s subscribers