Walmart agreed with Paramount Global to add streaming service Paramount+ to the retail giant’s Walmart+ membership program starting in September.
The Paramount+ Essential plan, which includes ads, will be available to Walmart+ members at no additional cost. In the US, Paramount+ Essential regularly costs $4.99/month. The Essential plan does not include live local CBS channels (available only in Paramount+ Premium, $9.99/month), but does offer NFL and UEFA Champions League games available via separate live feeds.
Walmart’s move aims to make Walmart+, which launched in September 2020, more competitive with Amazon Prime by adding a streaming entertainment component. Walmart+ costs $12.95 per month (or $98 per year) and offers subscribers same-day delivery on more than 160,000 products. Program members can also save up to 10 cents per gallon on gas at more than 14,000 participating stations nationwide and receive up to six months of Spotify Premium free.
Paramount+ offers thousands of titles, including original dramas like 1883 and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds; current films such as “Sonic the Hedgehog 2”; live sports; and content from the media conglomerate’s CBS, BET, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, and MTV brands.
“Walmart customers connect to Paramount’s beloved brands, content and characters every day through a range of consumer products available at all Walmart stores,” said Jeff Shultz, chief strategy officer and chief business development officer for Paramount Streaming, in a prepared statement. “Now, combining Walmart’s nationwide reach with Paramount+’s broad and popular content, which offers something for everyone, is a unique opportunity to expand our partnership.”
In announcing Q2 results, Paramount said Paramount+ now has 43.3 million paying subscribers, a net increase of 3.7 million for the June quarter (including 1.2 million disconnects in Russia).
The Wall Street Journal first reported the streaming deal between Walmart and Paramount. Walmart does not disclose the number of Walmart+ members. The service has around 16 million members, according to a Morgan Stanley survey in May, compared to around 15 million in November 2021, the Journal is quoted as saying.
“With the addition of Paramount+, we are demonstrating our unique ability to help members save even more and live better while also offering entertainment for less,” said Chris Cracchiolo, SVP and general manager of Walmart+, in a statement.
Last week, the New York Times reported that Walmart was in talks with Paramount, Disney, and Comcast (whose division of NBCUniversal operates Peacock) about potential bundling deals for Walmart+.