Verizon to Offer Free Year of AMC+ to Certain Subscribers, Adding to Its Stable of Streaming Promotions

Verizon is offering free AMC+ for 12 months to new and existing customers who buy a new 5G phone with a payment plan or sign up for Fios home internet.
Verizon already offers Discovery+ and Disney+ for no additional charge to certain wireless customers.
The subscription streaming offers are a way for Verizon to differentiate itself from T-Mobile and AT&T.

Verizon is bundling yet another streaming service with its 5G wireless plans in an attempt to stand out from competitors.

Verizon is providing one free year of AMC+, the streaming service that offers "The Walking Dead," "Mad Men," and other AMC Networks series and films, to certain new and existing Fios and wireless subscribers, the company announced Thursday. The promotion begins immediately and runs until Feb. 10.

New or existing Verizon customers who purchase a 5G phone with a device payment plan will get 12 months of AMC+ included for no extra charge, Verizon said. New Verizon Fios customers who sign up for one of Verizon's Mix & Match home internet plans also get the promotion. In addition, Verizon is giving away six months of AMC+ to customers on its "Start Unlimited" plan, its cheapest unlimited plan that includes 4G data instead of 5G. After the Verizon promotions end, AMC+ will cost the standard $8.99 per month.

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Verizon already offers Discovery+ and Disney+ to its 5G customers with a variety of plans. The wireless company is in a battle with AT&T and T-Mobile to gain customers and is using the carrot of streaming services to woo new customers. AT&T gives away free HBO Max to many of its customers, and T-Mobile offers free Netflix with unlimited data plans.

"Adding more personalized subscriptions is a big part of our strategy," Verizon executive Frank Boulben told CNBC in May.

As streaming services become the dominant distribution method for video content, replacing traditional pay TV, it's possible companies will start to bundle and aggregate multiple services similar to the cable model. Verizon has a head start on the pack by offering multiple services for no additional charge as part of its wireless plans.