In late Nov 2023, news broke in South Korea that the leading local streaming services TVing and Wavve were merging. It's a combination of the third and fourth place players to take on Netflix. Much has been said about the merger of the two companies. Success or failure, and more importantly, consumer harm.

Coincidentally, similar news broke in the US on 1st Dec, 2023. Apple and Paramount Global are working on a streaming bundle, the Wall Street Journal reported. It would be a soft bundle that would offer discounts for simultaneous subscriptions to Apple TV+ and Paramount+. It's still early days for the two companies to talk about launching an integrated offering, and it's unclear what form the bundle will take.

Whether it's Wavve or Tving, or Apple TV+ or Paramount+, it seems that as competition in the streaming market heats up, rivals are joining forces to attract more subscribers. But their methods are different. One is integration, the other is solidarity. The question is, what will the market look like after the collaboration? Which one will be better for them to achieve the two things they desperately need: more subscribers and more revenue?

But the referee who will decide the winner is the consumer.  In this regard, we have a new player on the field. That's the bundling of grocery delivery service Instacart with Paramount+.  What's really in it for the consumer? In addition, South Korea streaming services should consider a more favorable streaming company structure for international expansion.