T-Mobile is giving away a year of Paramount Plus Essentials to new and existing subscribers
Another streaming service is being bundled with your wireless plan.
First it was Netflix, then it was Apple TV Plus. Starting on Nov. 9, T-Mobile is giving away yet another streaming service to its users: Paramount Plus.
On Thursday the wireless provider announced that it will soon offer new and existing customers -- including ones with older T-Mobile or Sprint plans -- a free year of Paramount Plus Essentials on the carrier. Normally $5 per month (or $50 if paid annually), this version of the streaming service includes access to live games from the NFL and Champions League as well as "tens of thousands of episodes and movies."
Notable franchises on the streaming service include Star Trek, Paw Patrol and NCIS. The Essentials plan, which has ads, also includes access to Paramount Plus original programming such as Star Trek: Picard, The Good Fight and the iCarly reboot as well as upcoming shows like Mayor of Kingstown and the Yellowstone spinoff Y:1833.
T-Mobile's offer is only for the Essentials plan and the carrier will not be subsidizing Paramount Plus' step-up Premium option. That plan runs $10 per month (or a lower $100 if paid annually), is largely ad-free and includes the ability to watch your local CBS station live as well as the option to download shows and movies to watch offline.
T-Mobile is making the Paramount Plus offer open to anyone with a consumer postpaid account, meaning you pay your bill at the end of the month and can't be using the service on a "T-Mobile for Business" plan provided by an employer. This does, however, include T-Mobile or Sprint customers on older consumer plans that aren't unlimited, as well as those who only use the wireless provider for its $50-per-month Home Internet service.
As with T-Mobile's other deals, this is one Paramount Plus subscription per account, not per line. After the year is up you will automatically be billed $5 per month (or whatever the rate Paramount Plus charges for the plan) unless you cancel beforehand. If you already pay for Paramount Plus Premium or some other plan you'll need to cancel your existing subscription (or wait for the end of your current billing cycle) and then sign up through T-Mobile again to have the carrier foot the bill.
Full details on the promotion can be found on T-Mobile's website.
The wider net of eligibility is a bit of a departure for wireless carrier offers. Most deals require users to step up to pricier unlimited plans. T-Mobile only offers free Netflix with its Magenta and Magenta Max plans, while Verizon only offers The Disney Bundle (Hulu, Disney Plus and ESPN Plus) and a year of Discovery Plus with its Play More and Get More options. AT&T only gives out free HBO Max to those with its Unlimited Elite plan.
T-Mobile's most recent streaming deal, the free year of Apple TV Plus, is limited just to those accounts that have its most recent Magenta and Magenta Max plans.