Vudu movie purchases get physical, starting with Battle: Los Angeles movie cards
How do you combine a purely online service (Vudu) with a primarily brick-and-mortar retailer (Walmart)? Apparently the answer is cards, like Xbox Live and many other services before them, Vudu will have redeemable digital movie cards available for purchase at the store. Action flick Battle: Los Angeles is first up, with $14.96 cards hanging up in Walmart entertainment sections everywhere starting today. Unfortunately, it's for a standard definition stream only. It does save a couple of bucks off of the $16.96 DVD price, but with no hope of trade or even lending to a friend it's tough to justify as a bargain over the PS3-demo packing Blu-ray. While reaching out to retail customers with cards and PC streaming is fine, these standard-def limitations won't play well with an existing (albeit niche) audience that has come to expect high quality 1080p streams and surround sound.
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VUDU Launches First-Ever Digital Movie Card with BATTLE: LOS ANGELES
VUDU Digital Movie Cards Available Exclusively at Nationwide Walmart Stores
SANTA CLARA, Calif., – June 14, 2011 – VUDU, a leading subscription-free, video-on-demand movie
service and wholly-owned subsidiary of Walmart stores, today announced an exclusive digital movie card
with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment's BATTLE: LOS ANGELES. The digital movie card is available
today at nationwide Walmart stores, the same day as the Blu-ray/DVD release.
The BATTLE: LOS ANGELES digital movie cards are available in standard definition and will be sold for
$14.96 in the entertainment area at Walmart stores. Customers simply purchase the card and then use
the provided code to access BATTLE: LOS ANGELES directly from the browser on their computers or
from one of more than 300 VUDU-enabled CE devices, including HDTVs, Blu-ray Disc players and the
PlayStation ®3.
"Digital movie cards are a great way for Walmart's millions of movie customers to own and watch digital
movies through the VUDU service," said Edward Lichty, general manager, VUDU. "By partnering with
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment on this exclusive, new movie card, we're transforming a physical
purchase into a digital ownership experience, in a way that is easy for customers to understand and
access."
"Digital movie cards allow us to take digital transactions into high-traffic, brick and mortar retail
environments like Walmart, and provide a bridge from the DVD aisle into the digital age," said John
Calkins, EVP, global digital and commercial innovation, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. "Our goal is
not only to educate off-line consumers about the digital films and services available to them, but also to
increase the convenience of buying and gifting digital content."
Digital movie cards are one of many ways VUDU is introducing Walmart customers to digital content.
VUDU includes digital offers on hundreds of DVD and Blu-ray titles at Walmart stores, representing more
than eight million physical DVDs and Blu-ray Discs. Specific offers include free digital copies with the
purchase of select DVDs or Blu-ray Discs, $5 VUDU credits, bonus VUDU rentals with purchase and
more.
About BATTLE: LOS ANGELES
For years, there have been documented cases of UFO sightings around the world -- Buenos Aires, Seoul,
France, Germany, and China. But in 2011, what were once just sightings will become a terrifying reality
when Earth is attacked by unknown forces. As people everywhere watch the world's great cities fall, Los
Angeles becomes the last stand for mankind in a battle no one expected. It's up to a Marine staff sergeant
(Eckhart) and his new platoon to draw a line in the sand as they take on an enemy unlike any they've ever
encountered before. BATTLE: LOS ANGELES was directed by Jonathan Lieberman (The Texas
Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning), written by Chris Bertolini (The General's Daughter) and produced
by Neal H. Moritz and Ori Marmur (The Green Hornet, The Bounty Hunter). Executive producers are
Jeffrey Chernov (upcoming Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, Star Trek) and David Greenblatt. It was
distributed by Columbia Pictures and has a run time of approximately 116 minutes. It has been rated PG-
13 for sustained and intense sequences of war violence and destruction, and for language.About VUDU
A leader in HD streaming, VUDU offers the world's largest selection of HD movies, including thousands of
blockbusters, Hollywood classics, and indies available in stunning HDX 1080p with Dolby Digital Plus 5.1
surround sound. Movies are available the same day they are released on DVD or Blu-ray, and can be
rented or purchased without a subscription. VUDU is available on internet-capable HDTVs and Blu-ray
Disc players from FUNAI Electronics (Magnavox, Sylvania), LG Electronics, Mitsubishi Digital Electronics,
computer entertainment system from Sony. VUDU is a wholly owned subsidiary of Walmart Stores, Inc.,
and is headquartered in Santa Clara, CA. For more information, visit http://www.vudu.com/.
About Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) serves customers and members more than 200 million times per
week at 9,029 retail units under 60 different banners in 15 countries. With fiscal year 2011 sales of $419
billion, Walmart employs more than 2 million associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in
sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity. Additional information about Walmart
can be found by visiting http://www.walmartstores.com.
