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As the great re-bundling begins to take shape, Netflix has largely remained on the sidelines. The streaming giant has stood by the strength of its own programming as competitors like Amazon and YouTube have made considerable gains by offering access to other streaming services, be that directly within their respective apps or through a marketplace portal. The strategy is straightforward. Amazon and YouTube want to be the interface by which television viewers access all of their content, whether that content is theirs or not. Amazon has Prime Video Channels, a marketplace where streaming users can buy any number of other streamers — HBO Max, Paramount+, Apple TV — while YouTube has its own marketplace, YouTube Primetime Channels, with similar offerings. YouTube took its bundling practices a step further last month when it announced a partnership to include Peacock with a YouTube Premium subscription beginning early 2027. Netflix, meanwhile, has not bundled any of its direct competitors into its platform. That appears to be changing, however, according to a recent report by John Koblin in The New York Times. Per Koblin, “Netflix executives recently discussed bringing Peacock and Fox One to Netflix’s streaming service with NBCUniversal and the Fox Corporation.” While there is no “imminent deal to be announced,” the talks signify a marked change in Netflix’s outlook on becoming a bundler. As recently as two years ago, Netflix shrugged off the idea of bundling with other streaming services, saying it “already operates as a go-to destination for entertainment.” It’s unclear whether a Netflix partnership with NBC or Fox would resemble the marketplace approach, like Prime Video Channels, or if Peacock and Fox One would be integrated within the Netflix app. Should a deal get done, Netflix would gain a much stronger foothold into live sports than it ever has before. The streamer currently holds a limited package of NFL and MLB games and continues to hold one-off combat sports cards. Next summer, it will have its first major undertaking as the exclusive broadcaster of the FIFA Women’s World Cup. The moral of the story? Even Netflix, far and away the most popular streaming service in the United States, can’t simply rely on its own content to drive the consumption necessary to keep up with its competitors. For the same reason the cable bundle was so successful, streamer are now looking to aggregate and bundle as much content together as possible to add value for the consumer, keep users on their platform for longer, and reduce churn.