Paramount+, Walmart+ Latest Streaming Bundle; Who Else Has Joined Forces to Offer Deals, Savings?
While Paramount+ and Walmart+ are teaming up to enhance the retail giant's membership bundle, the unique partnership is far from first to hit the streaming scene. As competition increases, and subscriber growth plateaus, streaming bundles can make subscribing far more economic, but also potentially far more difficult, for customers to enjoy their favorite digital content.
Linear TV such as cable and satellite has long known the benefits of bundling services. By forcing customers to subscribe to large swaths of channels whether they will ever watch them or not allows pay-TV providers the chance to charge more money. With monthly contracts that are difficult to break and hundreds of channels that will never be watched, it’s no wonder that paying hundreds of dollars just to watch the latest episode of “Succession” seems like a rip-off to today’s audiences.
But the bundles that streaming services are introducing have the exact opposite goal in mind, they are looking to provide more meaningful benefits at a lower price. A recent report from MoffettNathanson suggests that the “streaming wars” may be at an end, and that the upcoming rebundling era could finally shift benefits in the customers' favor in the long run.
The latest Walmart+ deal is an excellent example, as it bundles the ad-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) Paramount+ tier with its offerings, giving Paramount a whole lot of ad revenue opportunities that more than make up for a loss of subscription fees. The companies did not announce whether Walmart would be compensating Paramount to include the streamer in its membership plan, but even if it doesn’t, it should be a boon for Paramount+’s subscriber totals and bottom line.
Whether streamers are convincing new customers to check out their AVOD options or they’re bundling services to gain more subscribers, there is still a lot of savings to be had with many of these current deals.
Paramount+/Walmart+
The bundle of the day is the latest in a spate of media superhero team-ups. Paramount+ hosts the studio’s library of existing films and shows alongside a wealth of original programming. Recently pushing its Star Trek brand with new series such as “Picard” and “Brave New Worlds,” the studio’s link with Walmart gives the superstore’s customers a lot to play around with. As far as Walmart+ is concerned, the advantages are mainly on the shopping side, but as the duo attempts to overthrow the Amazon Prime dominance of a media/shopping experience, a free Paramount+ subscription goes a long way to hit that market.
Walmart+ has a $12.95 monthly fee, and subscribers can add Paramount+ for no additional charge.
Paramount Plus
Paramount+ is a subscription video streaming service that includes on-demand access to 40,000+ TV show episodes from BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr. and more. The lineup includes “1883,” “Tulsa King,” “Star Trek: Discovery,” Nickelodeon’s “SpongeBob SquarePants,” and “PAW Patrol.” Subscribers can watch the NFL, college football, The Masters, college basketball, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa, Serie A, and NWSL. The service also offers the option to watch your live CBS affiliate. The upgraded ad-free package includes premium movies and shows from Showtime.
Disney+/Hulu/ESPN+
The Disney bundle brings all three of the media conglomerate’s most popular streamers together at one price point. Including Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+, the deal drops the total cost of grabbing all three services by quite a bit. The discounted grouping is a triple whammy for larger households, with Hulu for offering more adult content, ESPN for sports fanatics, and Disney+ with family-oriented viewing.
The bundle is also set to become even more valuable as the individual services are all set to raise their prices in the coming weeks and months, but — as of now — the bundle rate will remain unchanged.
- Disney+: $7.99
- Hulu: $6.99
- ESPN+: $6.99
- BUNDLE: $13.99 ($8 savings)
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Disney+
Disney+ is a video streaming service with over 13,000 series and films from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, The Muppets, and more. It is available in 61 countries and 21 languages. It is notable for its popular original series like “The Mandalorian,” “Ms. Marvel,” “Loki,” “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” and “Andor.”
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Hulu
Hulu is a video streaming service that gives access to thousands of full seasons of exclusive series, hit movies, kids shows, and Hulu Originals like “Only Murders in the Building,” and “The Handmaid's Tale.”
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ESPN+
ESPN+ is a live TV streaming service that gives access to thousands of live sporting events, original shows like Peyton’s Place, the entire library of 30 for 30, E:60, The Last Dance, as well exclusive written analysis from top ESPN insiders. Sports available on ESPN+ include NFL, MLB, NHL, UFC, College Football, F1, Bundesliga, PGA Tour, La Liga, and more.
Amazon Prime
Like the Walmart+ bundle, Amazon Prime combines shopping and video benefits into one single subscription. Prime members receive free shipping, exclusive discounts, eBook borrowing, unlimited photo storage, and much more, not to mention access to the Prime Video streaming library.
The Amazon Prime subscription runs a bit more than Walmart’s version, coming in at $14.99 per month or $139 annually.
In addition to the Prime membership, Amazon also allows customers to build their own a la carte bundle of streaming services via its Prime Video Channels hub. While this service isn’t really about saving cash, it is focused on providing convenience, allowing customers to incorporate their favorite streamers and channels — such as Showtime and discovery+, and maybe soon HBO Max, into the Amazon Fire ecosystem. Their catalog of offerings is comprised of:
| Amazon channel | Monthly cost |
|---|---|
| NBA League Pass (all teams) | $15 |
| MLB.TV | $25 |
| Showtime | $11 |
| BET Plus | $10 |
| Cinemax | $10 |
| PGA Tour Live | $10 |
| Starz | $9 |
| Noggin | $8 |
| discovery+ | $5 |
| BritBox | $7 |
| Sundance Now | $7 |
| Hallmark Movies Now | $6 |
| Paramount Plus | $10 |
| PBS Masterpiece | $6 |
| Shudder | $6 |
| Acorn TV | $7 |
| Boomerang | $5 |
| PBS Kids | $5 |
| Up Faith & Family | $5 |
| LIfetime Movie Club | $5 |
| Curiosity Stream | $3 |
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video is a subscription video streaming service that includes on-demand access to 10,000+ movies, TV shows, and Prime Originals like “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” “Jack Ryan,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “The Boys,” and more. Subscribers can also add third-party services like Max, Showtime, STARZ, and dozens more with Amazon Prime Video Channels. Prime Video also offers exclusive live access to NFL Thursday Night Football.
Spotify/Hulu/SHOWTIME (Student-Eligible)
Full-time scholars are in for a special treat when they choose to bundle their Spotify account with some primo video streaming. For just $4.99 a month, students get access to Spotify’s Premium-tier music service bundled with Hulu and SHOWTIME absolutely free. Even customers who are already subscribed to the streamers can shift their existing memberships over to the program at no charge. With Hulu at $6.99 and SHOWTIME’s streaming cost peaking at $10.99 per month, that’s a pretty decent savings, especially for budget-minded students.
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Hulu
Hulu is a video streaming service that gives access to thousands of full seasons of exclusive series, hit movies, kids shows, and Hulu Originals like “Only Murders in the Building,” and “The Handmaid's Tale.”
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Paramount+ with SHOWTIME
Paramount+ with SHOWTIME is a video streaming service offering access to A-list movies and compelling original series like Yellowjackets, Billions, Shameless, Homeland, Ray Donovan, Dexter, Weeds, and Nurse Jackie. The service includes live access to your local CBS station, and movies and TV shows from the Paramount library including “Yellowstone” spinoffs from Taylor Sheridan, Nickelodeon shows like “PAW Patrol” and “SpongeBob SquarePants,” and other classics like “Survivor,” “Beavis and Butt-Head,” and “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”
Paramount+/SHOWTIME
Walmart’s deal with Paramount isn’t the only lucrative deal the studio has in its pocket. As Paramount has moved more and more into streaming, many onlookers have called for the company to bring all of its streaming services under the Paramount+ umbrella. However, to date, the studio has resisted those moves, keeping SHOWTIME, BET+, and Noggin separate from the flagship streamer.
But, the company has started offering an option to integrate SHOWTIME's premium cable streamer into the Paramount+ platform while also offering a substantial discount for the pair.
Customers can bundle SHOWTIME’s usually expensive content with Paramount+, dropping the monthly cost for the lower-priced Paramount+ Essential package from $14.98 per month to just $11.99 for the pair and the Premium package from $20.98 to just $14.99 per month.
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Paramount Plus
Paramount+ is a subscription video streaming service that includes on-demand access to 40,000+ TV show episodes from BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr. and more. The lineup includes “1883,” “Tulsa King,” “Star Trek: Discovery,” Nickelodeon’s “SpongeBob SquarePants,” and “PAW Patrol.” Subscribers can watch the NFL, college football, The Masters, college basketball, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa, Serie A, and NWSL. The service also offers the option to watch your live CBS affiliate. The upgraded ad-free package includes premium movies and shows from Showtime.
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Paramount+ with SHOWTIME
Paramount+ with SHOWTIME is a video streaming service offering access to A-list movies and compelling original series like Yellowjackets, Billions, Shameless, Homeland, Ray Donovan, Dexter, Weeds, and Nurse Jackie. The service includes live access to your local CBS station, and movies and TV shows from the Paramount library including “Yellowstone” spinoffs from Taylor Sheridan, Nickelodeon shows like “PAW Patrol” and “SpongeBob SquarePants,” and other classics like “Survivor,” “Beavis and Butt-Head,” and “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”
Apple One/Apple TV
Apple has always been pretty big on making its own ecosystem. It makes sense that they would bundle all six of their major services under a single banner. Included in the Apple One bundle are the brand’s Music, Arcade, News, Fitness, iCloud and TV offerings. Grouping all of these services under a single plan nets subscribers a $6 savings on the individual plan, and $8 and $25 on the premiere and family plans respectively.
Apple TV+
Apple TV+ is a subscription video streaming service for $9.99 a month that includes high-quality original shows and movies including Best Picture winner “CODA,” popular sitcom “Ted Lasso,” and dramas like “The Morning Show” and “Severance.” Apple TV+ is also home to MLB baseball games on Friday nights and MLS Season Pass.
Cellular Bundling Plans
Several cell phone companies are hoping to hammer down more contracts by including major streamers as free offerings on more expensive plans. Since mobile phones are some of the most popular ways that customers consume media, linking these two forms of digital engagement makes a lot of sense.
Verizon/Disney+/Hulu/ESPN
The biggest free offer comes from Verizon, bringing the entire Disney+ Bundle to the carrier’s “unlimited” tier customers. The free year is enough to get subscribers hooked, and represents pretty nice savings, too. Current unlimited customers can turn on their freebies right away and customers can switch to the higher tier at any time.
AT&T/HBO Max
AT&T also offers its unlimited subscription customers a nice bonus in the way of HBO Max. Eligible plans include:
- AT&T Unlimited Elite®
- AT&T Unlimited PlusSM
- AT&T Unlimited Plus EnhancedSM
- AT&T Unlimited ChoiceSM
- AT&T Unlimited Choice IISM
- AT&T Unlimited Choice EnhancedSM
- AT&T Unlimited & MoreSM Premium
T-Mobile/Netflix
With the Magenta and Magenta Max plans (the T-Mobile version of unlimited talk and text), T-Mobile will pick up their customer’s Netflix subscriptions at no extra charge. While screen viewing is limited based on the level of your plan, a free Netflix account is still nothing to sneeze at. Subscribers can watch on a single screen with the standard Magenta, along with, Military, 55+ and First Responders Magenta plans. Magenta MAX plan members can watch on up to two screens.