The partnership between the retailer and Paramount will help its Walmart Plus membership to rival Amazon’s Prime subscription service.
In the US, Walmart and Paramount have teamed up to offer Paramount+ as an additional service to the subscribers of Walmart’s membership programme.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Walmart is hoping to be able to compete more successfully with Amazon, which offers streaming content via Amazon Prime. Walmart+ subscribers will have automatic access to Paramount+, utilising the Essential tier, which usually costs $4.99 and includes advertisements. Walmart is also thought to have been in talks with Disney and Comcast before securing the deal with Paramount+.
Walmart does not report subscription numbers, but estimates say Walmart+ has between 11 and 32 million subscribers, compared to Amazon Prime’s 200m. Members enjoy free shipping and fuel discounts, among other benefits, and now being able to access streaming content means that the service compares more favourably with Amazon Prime, which includes Amazon’s Prime Video.
Paramount+ is home to a range of blockbusters, new originals and iconic shows from Paramount, Nickelodeon, MTV and more.