"One path leads to a return of sorts to the bundle: cable companies offering access to the ad-supported tiers of D+, Max, Peacock, Paramount+, etc. for cheaper than all of those streaming channels individually."
But buying all the streaming channels individually would be a dumb thing to do, whether there was a bundled alternative or not.
The purpose of bundling in any market is to *sell you more*. In the case of TV this means more than you can possibly watch, more than you would buy given a free selection. The right comparison is not the bundle vs. all its components, it's the bundle vs. only the components that you would buy and use individually. If a bundle happens to give you a better deal on what you actually want and were prepared to buy anyway, that's great - if you are really intensely interested in simultaneously keeping up with multiple current shows on different channels. If TV isn't your job or sole interest, bundling offers only trivial convenience (saving a few minutes in switching streaming subs) for a higher price than you would otherwise pay.
"One path leads to a return of sorts to the bundle: cable companies offering access to the ad-supported tiers of D+, Max, Peacock, Paramount+, etc. for cheaper than all of those streaming channels individually."
But buying all the streaming channels individually would be a dumb thing to do, whether there was a bundled alternative or not.
The purpose of bundling in any market is to *sell you more*. In the case of TV this means more than you can possibly watch, more than you would buy given a free selection. The right comparison is not the bundle vs. all its components, it's the bundle vs. only the components that you would buy and use individually. If a bundle happens to give you a better deal on what you actually want and were prepared to buy anyway, that's great - if you are really intensely interested in simultaneously keeping up with multiple current shows on different channels. If TV isn't your job or sole interest, bundling offers only trivial convenience (saving a few minutes in switching streaming subs) for a higher price than you would otherwise pay.