Walmart's entree into movie streaming puts the company in competition with services like Netflix, as Vudu is available on a offered of consumer electronics devices and makes movies available the same day they are released on DVD or Blu-ray.
When it comes to film rentals, Vudu's model is more similar to that of iTunes than Netflix: Users can either buy films online (physical or digital), or rent films to watch online or via a connected device. It's not a subscription service, like Netflix or Hulu.
It remains to be seen what effect this move will have on Netflix, which hit 25 million subscribers and broke records for both its revenues and its earnings in the second quarter, but cut its outlook for the next few months due to a recent price hike.