Walmart reportedly recruits ex-Epix CEO in bid to build video service

According to new reports, Walmart has enlisted the services of Mark Greenberg to help build a subscription video streaming service. Rumors have been floating around for some time now, that the retailer is looking to go head to head with the likes of Netflix and Amazon Prime video, and Greenberg — who left the role of CEO at Epix in September — is well-positioned to help.

The service would reportedly function apart from Vudu, the a la carte video service Walmart purchased in 2010, as a bid to bolster its smart TV offerings. According to Variety, the streaming service would be firmly targeted at what the retail giant views as its core demographic, with a low subscription price and content targeted directly at “Middle America.”

The company is said to be eying an $8 a month price point, which would put it $2 below Netflix’s standard subscription fee. Amazon Video is probably a more comparable competitor, given the size and breadth of both companies, but at the moment, Walmart doesn’t have an offering that fits the same scope as Amazon Prime.

Vudu, on the other hand, features around 150,000 films to purchase or rent, but currently commands only around 13-percent of videos streamed from U.S. TVs. Netflix and Amazon, meanwhile, are responsible 73 and 28 percent, respectively, by Comscore’s count.

This is all in the very early stages, according to reports. As such, neither Walmart nor Greenberg are disclosing anything.

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