U.S. retail giant Walmart has made a deal with Paramount Global to offer streaming content from the company’s Paramount+ service to members of Walmart+, the company announced on Aug. 15.
Walmart’s membership program subscribers will get access to the “Essential Plan” for the Paramount+ streaming service. According to Paramount’s website, that subscription tier is valued at $4.99 a month, or $49.99 per year, and comes with “limited commercial interruptions.” The plan does not include local live CBS stations. It will include CBS, NFL and UEFA Champions League content on “separate live feeds.”
As the Wall Street Journal reported, Walmart has been exploring options for streaming service deals to bring in more customers to its membership program as it competes with Amazon, which has a 200 million customer subscriber base for its Prime membership program.
Walmart+ subscribers currently pay $12.95 a month for a package of benefits that includes fuel discounts and free shipping along with deliveries from local stores that request that customers tip delivery drivers for those orders from local stores delivered to subscriber homes.
Walmart estimated that the Paramount+ streaming feature to the membership package would be a $59 value, which could be meant to include an estimated average tax for customers in various localities across the country.
Chris Cracchiolo, senior vice president, and general manager of Walmart+, said, “With the addition of Paramount+, we are demonstrating our unique ability to help members save even more and live better by delivering entertainment for less, too. Eighty-five percent of U.S. households use streaming services, and Paramount+ has the premium content and broad appeal that our members are looking for — like Walmart, they have something for everyone. We’re excited about the launch and what comes next for Walmart+.”
As the New York Times reported, the two companies already have a relationship with 13 Paramount representatives based out of Walmart’s corporate headquarters in Bentonville, Ark. Walmart sells products based on multiple Paramount productions, including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, SpongeBob franchises, and Paw Patrol.
By Douglas Jones, Scripps National.
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