Walmart has reached a deal with Paramount Global to include the Paramount+ streaming service in the retail giant’s Walmart+ membership program, which begins in September. Various reports: The Paramount+ Essential plan, which includes advertising, will be available to Walmart+ members at no additional cost. In the US, Paramount+ Essential normally costs $4.99 per month. The Essential plan does not include live local CBS stations (only available on Paramount+ Premium, $9.99 per month), but does provide 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 and entertainment component. Walmart+ costs $12.95 per month (or $98 per year), providing subscribers with 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 gas stations nationwide and receive up to six months of Spotify Premium for free. “In announcing Q2 earnings, Paramount said Paramount+ now has 43.3 million paying customers, a net gain of 3.7 million over the June quarter (including 1.2 million opt-outs in Russia),” it added in the report. Walmart doesn’t disclose the number of Walmart+ members, but according to a May Morgan Stanley survey, “the service has about 16 million members, up from about 15 million in November 2021.”
