Wal-Mart launches online movie store with all major studios

Using its clout as the world’s biggest seller of DVDs, Wal-Mart has launched an online movie download store with films from all six major Hollywood studios. The Wal-Mart Video Downloads store currently sells about 3,000 movies and TV shows from Walt Disney, Warner Brothers, Paramount, Sony, 20th Century Fox, Universal, Comedy Central, CW, FX, Logo, MTV and Nickelodeon. The Windows Media-based store only works with Microsoft Windows and videos are not compatible with the iPod. Download prices will be $12.88 to $19.88 on the day of the DVD release. Older movies will start at $7.50, while TV shows will sell for $1.96 an episode. Apple’s iTunes Store, which only offers movies from Walt Disney and Paramount, charges $12.99 for movies when pre-ordered and during the first week of sale, and $14.99 afterward.