Observed Signal · Feb 25, 2026 · Partnership · Source: State of Streaming · Impact: 3/5 · Sentiment: Positive
Charter, Disney Add Hulu to Spectrum Bundles
Charter and The Walt Disney Company expanded their carriage agreement to add Hulu’s ad-supported service to Spectrum TV Select packages at no additional cost and restored eight Disney-owned channels. The deal extends a 2023 truce that ended a channel blackout and continues a strategy of attaching streaming apps to traditional cable bundles to combat cord-cutting. Charter said the revised bundle — which will also include a forthcoming ESPN streaming service — delivers more than $100 per month in claimed streaming value. Early indicators cited by the publisher show Charter’s video subscriber losses slowed in Q1 2025. The agreement is framed as part of a broader industry shift toward re-bundling, with rivals such as DirecTV pursuing similar integrations while Verizon recently paused new enrollment for its +play platform.
The carriage deal signals a broader industry trend of re-bundling streaming services into traditional cable packages, affecting CTV distribution, ad inventory availability, and operator strategies to slow cord-cutting.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Charter and The Walt Disney Company expanded a carriage deal to include Hulu's ad-supported service in Spectrum TV Select packages at no extra cost.
- The agreement restores eight Disney-owned channels previously affected by the companies' 2023 dispute.
- Charter plans to add the forthcoming ESPN streaming service to the bundle and claims the package offers over $100/month in streaming value.
- Charter's video subscriber losses reportedly slowed in Q1 2025, cited as an early sign the strategy may be working.
- Competitors are pursuing similar re-bundling strategies (DirecTV); Verizon recently paused new enrollment for its +play platform.
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Spectrum Adds discovery+ Free for Eligible TV Customers
Spectrum and Warner Bros. Discovery announced that eligible Spectrum TV customers can now access discovery+ at no additional cost. Spectrum TV subscribers can add the discovery+ app and receive the $5.99/month ad-supported tier for free, or pay $4/month to upgrade to the ad-free plan. The move is presented as part of Spectrum’s Seamless Entertainment bundle, which the operator says delivers over $125/month of streaming benefits and already includes services such as Disney+/Hulu, ESPN Unlimited, HBO Max, Paramount+, Peacock, AMC+, ViX, Tennis Channel and FOX One. Spectrum and Warner Bros. Discovery framed the agreement as a way to bring streaming into the linear-TV experience, simplify subscription management for customers, and extend discovery+ reach to millions of Spectrum viewers. Customers can activate discovery+ via the Spectrum App Store.
Disney+ & Hulu Bundle 50% Off Six-Month Deal
Cord Cutters News reports a limited-time promotion from Disney offering new and eligible returning subscribers a discounted six-month subscription to the Disney+ and Hulu bundle. The standard bundle is priced at $71.94 for six months and the Premium bundle at $107.94 for six months, representing roughly 50% and 52% savings versus buying the services monthly separately. The article notes programming highlights arriving in July on Hulu and Disney+, warns that subscriptions auto-renew at the then-current price after the promo, and discloses the site uses affiliate links (including to Amazon) to support its publishing. The story was published on 2026-07-02.
Charter COO Jeffery Bets on Cable Comeback with Streaming Bundles
Charter Communications' new COO, Nick Jeffery, argues that traditional cable TV can reverse its decline by bundling streaming services into its packages. The company, parent of Spectrum, is the largest U.S. cable operator, having completed a merger with Cox Communications to expand its footprint. Spectrum's strategy includes offering Disney+, Peacock, and Paramount+ in select tiers, which led to a rare subscriber gain in Q4 2025 and limited losses in Q2 2026. Jeffery, who previously led Frontier Communications, will oversee marketing, sales, and operations. The industry remains skeptical due to ongoing cord-cutting, but Spectrum's scale and hybrid video offerings may provide a competitive edge. The success of this 'great cable comeback' depends on customer acceptance of bundled entertainment packages.
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