Walmart May Launch A Video Streaming Service, To Battle Netflix And Amazon

Walmart may be the next giant to enter the video streaming wars according to a report from The Information. Walmart is reportedly considering launching its own video streaming service to battle Netflix and Amazon Prime Video utilizing Microsoft Cloud Servers in a five year deal. Walmart wants to undercut its competition by pricing its service at $8 per month or lower. Additionally, Walmart is said to be considering an ad supported free tier of service as well.

Walmart isn't new to video streaming game it already owns Vudu, a service for buying and renting movies. Vudu launched its own ad supported streaming service Movies on Us a few years ago which has failed to take off to date.

According to the report the $8 per month price comes from the idea that Netflix and Amazon are more popular with customers on the East and West Coasts. Customers may move toward a lower cost option. Currently, Netflix prices its service between $8 and $14 per month while Amazon Prime Video is roughly $8 per month.


Source: The Information

Roku's Streaming Stick Ships In October

We were intrigued by Roku's Streaming Stick dongle when we saw it back at CES, and today the company has announced that the device will be shipping this October for $99.99. The Streaming Stick is essentially a Roku box that fits in the palm of your hand: it connects to the HDMI port of an MHL-compliant television and provides all of Roku's services without the need for an external box or remote. (MHL stands for Mobile High-Definition Link, a proposed industry standard that allows devices to connect to and be powered by high-definition televisions.)

To make things easier on consumers, Roku has partnered with several television brands including Hitachi and Insignia that will be specifying certain models as "Roku Ready" to ensure compatibility with the Streaming Stick. As previously reported, some of the televisions with even be bundled with the Stick for the full Roku experience right out of the box. Those that purchase the device separately, however, will receive a special remote with motion sensitivity for use with games on Roku's platform.

In conjunction with the announcement, Roku is also adding Vudu to its line-up of channels as well as updating both its Android and iOS apps. The updated apps are now able to stream photos and music to compatible Roku devices, expanding upon the remote control functionality they currently provide. If you're a Roku owner and would like to try the new capabilities for yourself, the updated apps are available now.