The New York Times reports that Walmart has held discussions with executives from Paramount, Disney and Comcast as the retail giant decides which movies and TV shows would add the most value to its membership bundle, Walmart+.
It’s unlikely that this would mean that Walmart+ would become a mega streaming service with content from Paramount, Disney, and Comcast. It’s still unclear if any of the companies will reach deal with Walmart. Disney operates Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+. Paramount operates Paramount+ and Showtime. Comcast owns Peacock. The current Walmart+ membership costs $12.95 per month, and includes free shipping on orders, discounts on fuel, and a free six-month subscription to Spotify Premium.
Walmart is looking to give an extra incentive for consumers to sign up for Walmart+. The retail giant striking some sort of streaming deal would help it compete against Amazon Prime, which has its own streaming service.
This isn’t the first time Walmart has tried to partake in the “streaming wars.” All the way back in 2010, Walmart bought Vudu. Walmart even revealed free-ad supported original programming for Vudu back in 2019. Despite being an early entrant into the digital streaming space, Walmart’s Vudu never caught fire. Walmart’s media plans were dashed and they would sell Vudu to Comcast’s Fandango in 2020.
So, what do you think? Should Paramount, Comcast, or Disney pursue some type of deal with Walmart? Should all three come up with a deal? Let us know your thoughts on Twitter @BoardwalkTimes.
Zach Perilstein is the Editor-in-Chief of the Boardwalk Times
