Walmart is making a strategic move to bolster its Walmart+ membership by expanding its streaming video offering. As part of its fifth anniversary, the retail giant is adding Peacock Premium as a partner and rolling out a new benefit called Video Subscription Choice, allowing members to select between Peacock Premium and Paramount+ Essentials, with the flexibility to switch every 90 days.
This move positions Walmart+ more directly in competition with Amazon Prime, particularly in the growing area of streaming aggregation. Members now get to pick between two major ad-supported streaming services at no extra cost, as part of their $13 per month or $98 per year membership.
Peacock Premium brings NBCUniversal’s library of entertainment, including programming from NBC, Bravo, and SyFy, along with live sports such as Sunday Night Football and Premier League matches. Paramount+ Essentials, which has been bundled with Walmart+ since 2022, delivers content from CBS, MTV, and Paramount Pictures, including NFL games and original series.
While members can only use one service at a time, the ability to alternate services every 90 days opens the door for more personalization and possibly more platforms down the road. Walmart has hinted at plans to add more streaming options to this program in the future.
The timing is notable. Amazon just added Peacock as a channel offering through Prime Video, while Walmart is choosing to go the bundling route, giving it away as a perk. Peacock, which now has 41 million paid subscribers, and Paramount+, with 77 million globally, both gain from increased distribution and exposure to Walmart’s sizable membership base.
Walmart’s strategy here is clear. Rather than building or licensing a streaming platform, it is packaging value through aggregation. The move keeps prices flat while increasing perceived benefit, a compelling tactic in a subscription-saturated market.
