Paramount+ to Be Bundled With Walmart+ Membership Program

Walmart reached a deal with Paramount Global to include the Paramount+ streaming service as part of the retailing giant's Walmart+ membership program starting in September. Variety reports: The Paramount+ Essential plan, which includes ads, will be available for no extra cost to Walmart+ members. In the U.S., Paramount+ Essential is regularly $4.99/month. The Essential plan does not include local live CBS stations (available only in Paramount+ Premium, $9.99/month), but it does provide NFL and UEFA Champions League games available via separate live feeds. The move by Walmart is intended to make Walmart+, which launched in September 2020, more competitive with Amazon's Prime by adding a streaming-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 also can save up to 10 cents per gallon on gas at more than 14,000 participating stations nationwide and get up to six months of Spotify Premium for free. "In announcing Q2 earnings, Paramount said that Paramount+ now has 43.3 million paid customers, a net add of 3.7 million for the June quarter (including 1.2 million disconnects in Russia)," adds the report. Walmart does not disclose the number of Walmart+ members, but according to a Morgan Stanley survey in May, "the service has around 16 million members compared with about 15 million in November 2021."

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