Walmart is bringing Vudu video service to Europe

Vudu

Walmart's streaming video service Vudu is launching in Mexico in June, with a European launch set to follow later in the year, reports our sister site Stuff.tv.

Vudu's more of a rival to Apple's iTunes than anything else, serving up new releases on a pay-per-view basis. Rival streaming services Netflix and LoveFilm rely on subscriptions and libraries of older films and TV shows.

According to trade paper Variety, Vudu will use cross-promotion in Walmart stores to give its service a head start.

In the UK, Walmart owns Asda – so expect to see the grocery chain pushing Vudu's service hard if and when it makes its way to British shores.

In the US, Walmart has launched a disc-to-digital conversion programme for DVD owners, which serves up digital copies using Vudu.

No word yet on whether that particular service will be making its way to European shores, but Vudu will need all the help it can get if it's trying to take on the already-established iTunes.

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Andy Clough

Andy is Global Brand Director of What Hi-Fi? and has been a technology journalist for 30 years. During that time he has covered everything from VHS and Betamax, MiniDisc and DCC to CDi, Laserdisc and 3D TV, and any number of other formats that have come and gone. He loves nothing better than a good old format war. Andy edited several hi-fi and home cinema magazines before relaunching whathifi.com in 2008 and helping turn it into the global success it is today. When not listening to music or watching TV, he spends far too much of his time reading about cars he can't afford to buy.