Wal-Mart (WMT), who already dominates the country as the largest seller of movies, has announced they will compete in the video download service arena on their Web site, in competition with such companies as Apple (AAPL), Google (GOOG), Comcast (CMCSA) and Disney (DIS).
The rumor is that all the major studios are either on board or in active talks with the mega-retailer. Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) will be providing the technology for the download site, according to this NYTimes. com article.
BitTorrent, once a pariah for enabling vast unauthorized video file-sharing, joins the race to get video content online, announcing that it has struck distribution deals with eight media partners, including 20th Century Fox, Paramount and MTV Networks.
Although only Apple's iTunes online video store has met with success, and that limited, it hasn't stopped the momentum of these companies and others offering video download services.
Media companies have even become willing to strike partnerships with firms whose popular technology is primarily used for trading unauthorized content. For example, YouTube, the video sharing site now owned by Google, reached rights agreements with the music labels Universal Music Group, Sony BMG, and some TV networks — despite the relative freedom users had during YouTube’s early days in uploading and watching copyrighted material.
Read the full article here.
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