Continuing the full-court press from all sides to try and dethrone Netflix, Walmart has announced that they have "fully integrated" their VUDU streaming service with their website, Walmart.com. So what the hell does that mean, exactly? Now customers will be able to stream movies and TV shows they buy or rent from Walmart.com directly on the site at walmart.com/vudu. If you're not in the mood to sit in front of a computer monitor for two hours, you can also stream your purchases to VUDU-enabled devices such as certain HDTVs, Blu-ray players, and PS3s.
That last part is crucial. One of the reasons Netflix has blown up like it has is by partnering with damn near every manufacturer under the sun to ensure that you can easily stream your Netflix content onto your TV. Sure, it's been possible to rig up that sort of setup for years, but most people don't like having to figure out how, and the ease of simply having it available at the push of a button has done wonders for Netflix's sales. Now VUDU and any other potential competitors just have the problem of name recognition. I mean, how many of you out there had any idea what the hell VUDU was before reading this story? The only reason I do is because I get paid to write about this shit.
It also still begs the question of whether a purchase-per-item system can dethrone Netflix's "one monthly fee, watch all you want" model. Say what you will about Netflix's content selection, but that ability to never have to worry about entering my credit card number before I press the "play" button is a powerful motivator.
