Walmart reportedly planning to take on Netflix, Amazon with its own streaming service

midian182

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Rumor mill: Following yesterday’s announcement that Microsoft and Walmart have formed a strategic partnership to take on Amazon, a new report claims the brick-and-mortar retailer could give Jeff Bezos something else to worry about: a streaming service that’s cheaper than rivals such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.

The Information, which cites people familiar with the plans, reports that Walmart is considering ways it can stand out in the crowded streaming video market. One option is to undercut the competition. Netflix’s top plan is currently priced at $14 per month, though that may soon change, while Amazon Prime Video is $8.99 per month. Walmart is said to be aiming for $8 per month with its service, but it could end up even cheaper.

Walmart is also considering offering a free tier of its video streaming service that would come with ads. Whether this would have less content than the paid-for version is unclear.

The Information’s source says Netflix and Amazon “are seen as more popular with people on the East and West Coasts of the US.” Walmart believes a cheaper option could be popular among customers “in the middle of America.”

Walmart acquired on-demand video service Vudu in 2010. While not able to compete with the industry’s big hitters, it offers thousands of movies to buy and rent, and the ad-supported ‘Movies on Us’ lets users watch certain titles for free.

Walmart’s service is still only under consideration; there’s no guarantee it will ever become an actual product. If it does, the extra competition could pose more problems for Netflix. The streaming king’s shares fell 14 percent this week after it missed quarterly subscriber and revenue expectations.

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Looks like Walmart is replacing Redbox too. In the end, I kinda deep down don't like hearing about Walmart and Comcast finding ways to do things cheaper. They have enough money as it is...
 
Looks like Walmart is replacing Redbox too. In the end, I kinda deep down don't like hearing about Walmart and Comcast finding ways to do things cheaper. They have enough money as it is...
I am not so sure that Walmart is really doing all that well. There may be evidence for my assumption in the Sam's Club fiasco. This may more be a sign of Walmart struggling to find revenue sources. Being that their claim to fame is that the sell stuff for rock-bottom prices, they may be finding it difficult to make a profit, and attempting to take advantage of the streaming fad to make up for the lack of profit on selling stuff so cheaply.
 
There Vudu movies on us has been pretty successful if I remember right. If they keep it free, but then offer a $5-8 no ads option they could do something pretty amazing, just be what hulu was and don't be stupid (now you have to pay for hulu no free option).
 
Sadly, since their founder passed away, Walmart is just another overblown money hording company that treats it employee's poorly and it's buying public even more poorly. This is one time I'd like to see Amazon give them a through thrashing ...... with a smiling whip!
 
There Vudu movies on us has been pretty successful if I remember right. If they keep it free, but then offer a $5-8 no ads option they could do something pretty amazing, just be what hulu was and don't be stupid (now you have to pay for hulu no free option).

This is the way I see it. Be what Hulu said they'd be.

Walmart is still extremely profitable but they are looking at the long-term and Amazon already has a huge head start for online sales. It seems extremely unlikely they could take on Netflix or Hulu in the short term due to licensing rights and the difficulty and cost of putting out original content.

Amazon Video on the other hand pretty much doesn't have original content. It doesn't even have much exclusive content. Still, it's a pretty good service. Especially if you don't have Netflix or Hulu.

I could see Walmart being a real force in the market and also greatly expanding their On-Demand rentals as a result.
 
Looks like Walmart is replacing Redbox too. In the end, I kinda deep down don't like hearing about Walmart and Comcast finding ways to do things cheaper. They have enough money as it is...
I am not so sure that Walmart is really doing all that well. There may be evidence for my assumption in the Sam's Club fiasco. This may more be a sign of Walmart struggling to find revenue sources. Being that their claim to fame is that the sell stuff for rock-bottom prices, they may be finding it difficult to make a profit, and attempting to take advantage of the streaming fad to make up for the lack of profit on selling stuff so cheaply.
Walmart is literally the richest company in the world.

https://www.google.com/search?q=richest+companies+list&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b-1-ab

If anyone could give them a run for their money it would be Walmart.
 
If they can make it better, with more content, AND cheaper then Netflix or Hulu then they might have something. Otherwise, it'll just get crapped on like their previous attempt.
 
I am not so sure that Walmart is really doing all that well...

I wonder this myself. I have a rather small sample size (1 store) but know several people who work there, most for quite some time (10+ years), some rather high up in our stores management. Our stores Holiday sales have been down for the last 3-4 years running. Black Friday sales have been down as well. I'm not sure about everyday sales, but I know employees who have been there 5-10 years who normally get 40 hours easily are being scheduled less. I don't know if this is a nation wide trend.

With the amount of "Order online, pickup in store" discounts they are offering is obvious they are try to compete with Amazon. I believe they are also offering free shipping on orders of $50 in my area.

Personally, I think Walmart is struggling with e-merchants cutting into their market share, and I see Walmart trying to elbow into new markets to stay afloat.
 
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