Walmart bringing iTunes rival Vudu to Europe
Streaming movie service set to hit Latin America in June, with Europe and Asia to follow. But is it enough to pry you away from Netflix?
Walmart’s streaming video service Vudu is packing its bags for an overseas trip – it’s launching in Mexico in June, with a European launch set to follow later in the year.
Vudu’s more of a rival to Apple’s iTunes than anything else, serving up new releases on a pay-per-view basis. Rival streaming services Netflix and LoveFilm rely on subscriptions and libraries of older films and TV shows.
According to trade paper Variety, Vudu will use cross-promotion in Walmart stores to give its service a head start. In the UK, Walmart owns Asda – so expect to see the grocery chain pushing Vudu’s service hard if and when it makes its way to British shores.
In the US, Walmart has launched a Disc-to-Digital conversion programme for DVD owners, which serves up digital copies using Vudu. No word yet on whether that particular service will be making its way to European shores, but Vudu will need all the help it can get if it’s trying to take on the already-established iTunes.
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Dan Grabham
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