Comments on: Wal-Mart Kills Video Download Service

By: Wal-Mart is Buying Vudu « AccessTech News

Wal-Mart is Buying Vudu « AccessTech News — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 13:07:15 +0000

[...] and a lack of options to watch the downloaded content on the big screen. The download service closed shop only months [...]

By: Wal-Mart is Buying Vudu « The BAT Channel

Wal-Mart is Buying Vudu « The BAT Channel — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 13:06:51 +0000

[...] and a lack of options to watch the downloaded content on the big screen. The download service closed shop only months [...]

By: Wal-Mart is Buying Vudu – GigaOM

Wal-Mart is Buying Vudu – GigaOM — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 20:49:37 +0000

[...] and a lack of options to watch the downloaded content on the big screen. The download service closed shop only months [...]

By: Wal-Mart is Buying Vudu

Wal-Mart is Buying Vudu — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 20:29:52 +0000

[...] and a lack of options to watch the downloaded content on the big screen. The download service closed shop only months [...]

By: Richard

Richard — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 11:39:53 +0000

Sounds like everyone is passing the buck and not taking ownership.

By: Richard

Richard — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 11:36:33 +0000

Its good to have competition. Back to the drawing. Theres is always a better strategy.

By: Scott T.

Scott T. — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 18:04:29 +0000

I agree that the failure is probably significantly attributable to the "crappy incompatibilities, limited libraries, and crippled portability to the living room or handheld devices" rather than pricing model or anything else. I think a good comparison (paid download vs. free) is NBC direct, which has a very similar set of issues.

By: Warner Offers Entire Music Catalog Through Amazon’s MP3 store. « 109things Blog

Fri, 28 Dec 2007 16:01:00 +0000

[...] on the other hand has quit the video download industry. It’s clear that they’re not able to dominate this super competitive industry. This [...]

By: Kontra

Kontra — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 12:03:29 +0000

In a frenzy to catch up with Apple, the industry hasn’t learned much from the PlaysForSure debacle by watching Microsoft abandon its own DRM and introduce Zune with a new and incompatible system to compete directly against its erstwhile digital music “partners.” In another instance of mortgaging success to others’ willingness or ability to innovate, AOL recently moved its struggling video service to Amazon Unbox which in turn is based on Microsoft’s PlaysForSure.

The irony here is that Wal-Mart relied on HP that relied on Microsoft and AOL relies on Amazon that relies on Microsoft which itself no longer relies on its own PlaysForSure. When a core component of a product or service depends on the rate of innovation of another party over which you have no control or influence, it’s time to rethink strategy. It’s also time to ask yourself, twice or thrice removed from core competency, should you really be in such a business?

Strategic design risks (1): Wal-Mart’s foolhardy reliance on “partners”
http://counternotions.com/2007/12/28/walmart-video/