• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, January 6, 2023

Paramount+ is the latest streaming service to announce a new free content sampling partnership with an airline.

The deal — Paramount+’s first with a domestic airline — is part of Delta’s Sync Exclusives hub. Starting this spring, the hub will offer its SkyMiles loyalty program members free in-flight access to content and offers from partners that also include T-Mobile, American Express, Resy, Atlas Obscura and New York Times Games.

During Delta flights originating in the U.S., members will be able to customize their entertainment experiences through their personal mobile devices, including selecting from the full library of movies, TV shows, news, sports and other live events offered through the no-ads Paramount+ Premium tier. A standard subscription to that plan normally costs $9.99 per year.

The partners have not yet disclosed the length of their deal, how long the loyalty program members will have free access to the content, or other specifics.

Delta also announced that it is making free, in-flight WiFi available to all customers on most domestic aircraft starting Feb. 1.

Other streaming service/airline partnerships include Peacock’s new deal to become JetBlue Airways’ exclusive streaming service as of spring 2023, with free inflight access to Peacock content and a free subscription for top-tier JetBlue loyalty club members; and Discovery+’s deal, inked last year, to offer free inflight access to select original content on American Airlines flights.

The airlines deals are a variation on the many partnerships streaming services have forged with telecoms providers — for instance, a new deal in which some Verizon wireless customers are eligible for a free, 12-month subscription to Netflix’s $19.99-per-month Premium plan if they also sign up for at least one other service through Verizon’s new +play subscriptions management platform.

Paramount also partnered with Walmart to make access to Paramount+ one of the benefits of being a Walmart+ loyalty program member.

Paramount+, which was rebranded from CBS All Access in March 2021, reported 46 million subscribers as of the end of September, up from 25.5 million in the year-ago fiscal quarter.

Paramount Global has not yet released Q4 2022 results, but last month, during a UBS conference, CEO Bob Bakish said that the quarter brought Paramount+’s largest-to-date subscriber percentage gain in the U.S.