Wal-Mart Scraps Online Movie Service

Move comes as HP nixes software that supported the site
By Jim O'Neill,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 28, 2007 8:14 AM CST
Wal-Mart Scraps Online Movie Service
HP's logo is displayed on the entrance to the Hewlett-Packard Headquarters October 5, 2006 in Palo Alto, California.   (Getty Images)

Wal-Mart shuttered its 10-month-old video download service without fanfare last week, ending a disappointing experiment for the bargain retailer, Reuters reports. The site was scrapped after Hewlett Packard canceled the software that supported it, a Wal-Mart spokeswoman said. HP said it made the move after the market failed to perform "as expected."

Hailed by experts as a “game changer” when it launched in February,  Wal-Mart's download service was limited by a restriction that its movies be played on a single computer. Wal-Mart is not offering refunds for the service and plans no revamp with a new tech partner. The news comes on the heels of reports  that  Fox and Apple will offer the first downloadable flicks for rent on iTunes. (More online videos stories.)

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