Wal-Mart denies anti-Apple campaign

Wal-Mart has denied a New York Post article saying it is trying to discourage Hollywood studios from selling their movies on Apple’s iTunes Store. According the report, the retail giant has warned every major studio that it will retaliate against them if they work with Apple amid concerns that Wal-Mart’s DVD sales will suffer. “Customers want to watch movies and they want to be able to make the choice when and how they want to view them,” a Wal-Mart spokeswoman said. “While we recognize there are various current and potential providers of this service, we are not dissuading studios from conducting business with other providers.” The Post claims that a Wal-Mart executive told studios there would be “serious ramifications” if they signed with Apple. “They threatened to hurt us in terms of buying less products,” one Hollywood source said. The Post also claims Wal-Mart sent “cases and cases” of DVDs back to Disney when it heard of the studio’s deal with Apple.