Report: Walmart in talks over opening Vudu to streaming partners

Walmart is reportedly looking to take on Amazon by offering subscription services like HBO Now, Showtime and Starz through its US video-on-demand service Vudu.

According to Bloomberg, Walmart is in “exploratory” discussions about opening up its transactional VOD store – which lets users buy and rent movies and TV content – to third-party streaming services.

The report, which cites people familiar with the talks, claims that Walmart is trying to convert its retail shoppers into users of online services.

The move would put Vudu in competition with Amazon, which started selling partner subscriptions to Prime customers in the US through Amazon Prime Channels in December 2015.

Amazon rolled its channels initiative out in Europe in May 2017, allowing Prime customers in the UK, Germany and Austria to add live and on-demand TV as part of their subscription package.

The news follows a recent Reuters report claiming that Walmart has partnered with Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM) in a deal that will see the film studio create content for Vudu.