Big box retailer Best Buy doesn’t plan on watching Apple and Amazon dominate the online movie sales business, or sit back waiting for Walmart’s Vudu service to take off. The company will begin selling movies via internet this month through CinemaNow, an online distribution service acquired by Sonic Solutions in 2008.
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Blockbuster has renewed a previous agreement with Warner Bros. to offer new titles immediately for rental by mail or in-store. Movies include today’s release of The Blind Side and next Tuesday’s (Mar. 30) release of Sherlock Holmes. The renewal continues a 25-year relationship between the two companies. The existing digital agreement will stay in-tact. Full Story
Retail behemoth Wal-Mart aquired Vudu, Inc. today in a deal with terms undisclosed. Vudu, the struggling HD streaming service that was on the verge of extinction, had attempted to lure gadget freaks, movie-lovers and general consumers to its service by way of a pricy ($400) set-top box that really never caught on and spelled certain doom for the company as other, less-exclusive services, simply made alliances to be carried by myriad HD hardware manufacturers. Even after ditching the receiver box concept, the combined competition from the likes of Netflix, Hulu and Boxee, meant that Vudu was never quite able to mainstream itself. Full Story
The big news this week comes in the form of announcements from online services to require subscriptions or fees for certain content. YouTube and Hulu have been part of the talk, although Hulu’s fees are still rumored. Both follow the Wednesday news that The New York Times is planning a subscription program in which a limited amount of content would be offered free, but additional content would have to be paid for. Full Story
“Terminator Salvation: The Machinima Series” is now available for download on iTunes, Amazon Video on Demand
Amazon.com announced yesterday it will offer 500 HD (High Definition) titles for rent or to purchase. The content includes movies ranging in price from $3.99 to $4.99 and television shows which will cost $2.99 per episode. The move will put Amazon in direct competition with cable TV providers who offer HD VOD and with other downloadable HD services like iTunes. Full Story
- Limited Time
-- discounted at Amazon.com.
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