Walmart+ To Offer New Streaming TV Perk for Subscribers

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If you are a Walmart+ subscriber, you can expect your perks to include access to a popular video streaming service soon.

Walmart announced Monday, August 15, 2022, that it has struck a deal with Paramount Global to make Paramount+ a part of the bundle of benefits of its subscription service.

And the good news? It comes at no extra cost to current and new subscribers!

Let’s walk through what you’ll be getting from Paramount+ and how that boosts the value of a Walmart+ subscription.


Paramount+ To Be Free for Walmart+ Subscribers

Walmart+ and Paramount+

What You Need To Know

All Walmart+ subscribers will receive a complimentary subscription to the “Essential Plan” tier of the Paramount+ streaming service. This subscription tier, which is ad-supported, has a retail value of $4.99 per month. Paramount+ does offer an ad-free streaming experience at $9.99 per month, but that’s not included here.

This perk will be available to Walmart+ customers starting in September 2022.

Walmart says it will not raise the price for current or prospective subscribers. Walmart+ is still available for $98 per year or $12.99 per month.

Existing customers should keep an eye out for instructions for claiming this perk.

What They’re Saying

Walmart and Paramount Global executives explained the decision for the partnership.

“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. 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+.”

– Chris Cracchiolo, senior vice president and general manager of Walmart+

“Paramount has enjoyed a close relationship with Walmart for years, and Walmart customers connect with Paramount’s beloved brands, content, and characters every day through a range of consumer products available throughout Walmart stores. Now, pairing Walmart’s expansive reach across the country with Paramount+’s broad and popular content that offers something for everyone is a unique opportunity to expand our partnership. Together we will bring Walmart+ members the full breadth of Paramount+ programming.”

– Jeff Shultz, chief strategy officer and chief business development officer of Paramount Streaming

What Is Walmart+?

If you’re not already familiar with Walmart+, this new streaming opportunity might be a good time to consider whether Walmart’s subscription product is right for your household.

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Walmart launched Walmart+ in 2020 with the intent of competing with Amazon’s Prime subscription delivery model. With that background, it probably makes sense that Walmart has added a streaming element to compete with the Prime Video service.

Perhaps the biggest components of the $98 annual subscription are free grocery delivery on orders of $35 or more and free shipping on any online order (no purchase minimum).

You can also get 10 cents per gallon off gas purchases at Exxon, Mobil, Murphy or Walmart gas stations as well as access to Sam’s Club gas pricing.

Walmart also gives early and exclusive access to events, such as Black Friday sales, to its subscribers.

In addition to the Paramount+ subscription, members also can claim six complimentary months of Spotify Premium (normally $9.99 per month).

Walmart+ is offering a 30-day free trial, so you can try this out for a full month before committing to the annual or monthly fees.


What Is Paramount+?

If you’re a Walmart+ subscriber wondering what you’re getting with this new perk, you can read Team Clark’s review of Paramount+ here.

This subscription service, which launched in March 2021, blends a premium on-demand content library from Paramount Global properties with live TV elements from CBS, BET, MTV, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon. This service is a rebranded and enhanced version of the old CBS All Access product.

You’ll find a mix of original content, live content, movies and popular television series.

Some of the popular “Paramount+ Originals” that you’ll find only on this streaming service include Star Trek: Strange New World, Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Picard and 1883 (the Yellowstone prequel).

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Popular shows that stream on Paramount+ include:

CBS

  • NCIS
  • Survivor
  • Blue Bloods
  • Big Brother
  • 60 Minutes

BET

  • The Game
  • Real Husbands of Hollywood
  • Being Mary Jane
  • Single Ladies
  • Everybody Hates Chris

Comedy Central

  • Reno 911!
  • Chapelle’s Show
  • The Daily Show
  • Tosh.0
  • Key and Peele

MTV

  • Teen Mom series
  • The Challenge
  • The Real World series
  • Beavis and Butt-Head
  • Jersey Shore

Nickelodeon

  • SpongeBob Square Pants
  • Blue’s Clues
  • iCarly
  • Paw Patrol
  • Peppa Pig

Paramount+ also offers access to major sporting events that air on CBS, such as The Masters, the NCAA men’s basketball tournament and NFL games. Note: You may need to upgrade from the Essential plan to access some of these live events.


Final Thought + Clark’s Take

If you’re a Walmart+ subscriber who also enjoys Paramount+, this is probably a great announcement for you. You’ll be able to dump the monthly charge from Paramount+.

And if you’re an existing Paramount+ customer without the Walmart service, this could be a reason to give Walmart+ a try, knowing that you’ll at least get a $5 per month value out of the streaming access you already enjoy.

Money expert Clark Howard says that Walmart is trying this because online sales have been slower than anticipated in 2022.

“As online shopping is going through a slump — I mean really a bad slump — Amazon with its Prime membership and also Walmart with its Walmart+ are rolling out all kinds of additional benefits to try to get you to keep paying for those memberships,” Clark says. “Amazon now is offering layaway as a new perk of Prime, and they’re offering free delivery from Amazon competitors: not all of them but certain competitors. What’s Walmart+ doing? They’re now offering you the ability to have Paramount+ streaming on them. They pay your bill for you for the streaming service to compete with Amazon Prime video. You’re gonna see more and more of this for them to try to get you to pay that annual fee.”

Do you have Walmart+? Will this new promotion make you more likely to sign up? We’d love to hear your experiences and strategies in the Clark.com community!

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