Comments on: For Wal-mart, There’s More to Vudu Than VOD

By: r4ltman

r4ltman — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 20:25:30 +0000

Indeed, it’s almost as if Wal Mart will be out of its cultural depth for a while, they will have to sophisticate up a little bit beyond a new logo.

Let the AKAs begin…

Essentially WalMart is going to have to become Amazostco

By: Paul Sweeting

Paul Sweeting — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 17:17:04 +0000

Absolutely. The implications here go well beyond digital media. It could eventually lead to huge e-commerce opportunities for Wal-mart.

By: Eric Risley

Eric Risley — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 01:41:40 +0000

^^^Wal-Mart could also eventually use the Vudu “application” on the TV as a storefront in the living room. You could envision couch bound consumers purchasing a wide variety of products extending far beyond streamed digital content.^^^ Our M&A Alert http://tinyurl.com/ycmtghs highlights a broad array of strategic benefits to Wal-mart from the acquisition.

By: Paul Sweeting

Paul Sweeting — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 15:28:03 +0000

Apple and Comcast do not sell DVDs and Blu-rays, still the studios’ largest and most important revenue steam, by far (albeit not as large as it used to be). Even without Vudu, Wal-mart writes a bigger check to Hollywood each year than any other distributor/reseller, in any distribution channel, by a significant margin. As a customer for Hollywood, Apple barely registers, currently at least. Comcast’s clout will obviously increase when it completes the NBC Universal deal (assuming its approved by the feds) but even then, it will be hard-pressed to ignore Wal-mart.

By: Mari Silbey

Mari Silbey — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 14:39:22 +0000

“Soon, it could also have the largest, proprietary channel for delivering high-def video to the living room via the Internet. Together, those will give Wal-mart the clout to dictate windows, pricing, technical standards and just about anything else it thinks it needs to reinforce its dominant position in the market.”

What about the clout of folks like Apple and Comcast?