News

Apple and Wal-Mart Working on Movie Alliance

Friday, September 29th, 2006 at 11:40 AM - by

Apple and Wal-Mart may be negotiating a deal that would give the big-box retailer a cut of iTunes movie download sales in exchange for selling digital download coupons. According to Variety, the alliance would make movie studios feel more comfortable about adding their libraries to the iTunes Store.

So far, only Disney has signed on to offer movie downloads through the iTunes Store. Fox, Universal and Lionsgate were ready to join, too, but backed out after Wal-Mart pressured them to offer it the same download terms Apple was asking for. The retailer is reported to be working on its own movie download service.

Reports surfaced earlier this year that Wal-mart was pressuring movie studios to lower the wholesale price on DVDs so that it could match prices at the iTunes Store, fearing that it would lose in-store sales to online downloads.

There is no word on the current status of Apple's negotiations with Wal-Mart.

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jpfreeman said:

member since 12 Jan 2005 with 48 posts, unranked, send him a message or view his profile

Fri Sep 29, 2006 12:40 pm

A deal with the devil. I'd rather see Apple in bed with Microsoft.

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Edison Carter said:

member since 10 Aug 2006 with 228 posts, unranked, send him a message or view his profile

Fri Sep 29, 2006 12:46 pm

"Digital Download Coupons" are these akin to the currently available iTunes Store prepaid cards or something new? I don't shop very often at Walmart and don't know if they sell the cards or not.,

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brett_x said:

member since 24 Jan 2006 with 312 posts, unranked, send him a message or view his profile

Fri Sep 29, 2006 12:56 pm

Okay,

I'm missing something here. Can someone tell me why I would drive to Wal-Mart to buy a digital download coupon? I could see it might work for gifting purposes, but other than that, isn't the point of downloading movies not having to drive anywhere?

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Edison Carter said:

member since 10 Aug 2006 with 228 posts, unranked, send him a message or view his profile

Fri Sep 29, 2006 1:23 pm

brett_x wrote:
Okay,

I'm missing something here. Can someone tell me why I would drive to Wal-Mart to buy a digital download coupon? I could see it might work for gifting purposes, but other than that, isn't the point of downloading movies not having to drive anywhere?

I buy the iTunes Store pre-paid music cards, they help keep my credit card bill down. They also make great gifts. As to driving to buy them, a number of places within a short walk of my place sell them, Long's Drugstore, Best Buy, Radio Shack, Target. I was in Home Depot the other day and saw they are selling iPod accessories. But yes, I get your point, might as well buy a hard copy of the video if you are going to drive to get a pre-paid card.

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brett_x said:

member since 24 Jan 2006 with 312 posts, unranked, send him a message or view his profile

Fri Sep 29, 2006 1:40 pm

Edison Carter wrote:
But yes, I get your point, might as well buy a hard copy of the video if you are going to drive to get a pre-paid card.

You got most of my point... Why would anyone walk or drive to a place to buy a "coupon" to download something at home? Why leave home in the first place? Just buy it online.

I was trying to think of an analogy, but no good ones come to mind.

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Bosco said:

member since 03 Jun 2002 with 999 posts, unranked, send him a message or view his profile

Fri Sep 29, 2006 1:42 pm

I was all set to come in here and make a "joke" (the quotes are for pizza boy below) about how constipated some Apple loyalists would get about the prospect of Apple doing any business with the evil slavemaster WalMart, and then I read the first comment. So I'll just say, "Let the economic idiotarianism begin, er (no strike in BBCode) continue!!"

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Biff said:

member since 08 Apr 2004 with 1479 posts, unranked, send him a message or view his profile

Fri Sep 29, 2006 1:52 pm

You forgot to put quotes around the word joke.

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