It looks like Wal-Mart won’t be offering everything to consumers like they usually do. They canceled (without any notice or word) their video download for web consumers after less than a year. Wal-Mart stated that they were forced to shut down after HP discontinued the technology that was used to keep it up and running. Instead of looking for someone else to work with they have decided to abandon the service all together.
HP spokesman Hector Marinez said the company decided to discontinue its video download-only merchant store services because the market for paid video downloads did not perform “as expected.” He noted that the Internet video business remains uncertain and is changing rapidly. Wal-Mart will continue offering physical DVDs for sale at its stores and online, but would not continue the online downloads business, said Colella, who declined to disclose the number of downloads sold on the site.
A message at www.walmart.com/videodownloads said the service was stopped on December 21 and Wal-Mart offered no refunds for the downloaded videos. Videos purchased on Walmart.com can be played using the Microsoft Windows Media Player or the Wal-Mart Video Download Manager, but cannot be transferred to a computer other than the one used to download them, according to the site.
The giant retailer’s foray into online video downloading began in February and was hailed by media industry experts as a “game changer” that could introduce millions of DVD buyers to the practice of downloading. Wal-Mart was the first major retailer to partner with all of the major Hollywood movie studios and TV networks to offer downloads the same day titles were released on DVD.
Wal-Mart’s attempt at downloading came two years after it pulled out of online DVD rental and directed its subscribers to Netflix Inc, and months after it protested Walt Disney Co’s move to sell movies on Apple Inc’s iTunes online music store at below-retail prices. Download sales equaled about 1 percent of the $24.5 billion in DVD and home video sales and rentals in 2006, but industry experts expect downloads to grow to 10 percent within a decade.
Email This To A Friend or Social Bookmark It!
Articles related to Wal-Mart Shuts Down Video Download Service For Good:
Download Movies On Your X-Box 360: The Xbox 360 will continues its move toward becoming the center of the digital home. Today Microsoft is announcing that Xbox Live users will be...
Sony Releases Download-To-Own Game Service: Sony released its own somewhat embellishment download-to-own gaming service on Tuesday, forcing PSP players who want to play PlayStation games on their PSP handheld console to use...
Napster To Transfer To MP3 Exclusively: Napster has organized its resolutions for 2008 and it looks like its going to put a smile on our face as well as theirs. They...