Comcast to buy video-on-demand service Vudu from Walmart

Fandango Media, a movie ticketing service owned by cable company Comcast, has agreed to acquire Walmart Inc’s video-on-demand service, Vudu.
Comcast Center in PhiladelphiaThe terms or value of the deal were not disclosed.

Walmart bought Vudu over a decade ago, but the service, which allows customers to either buy or rent movies and TV shows, still lags far behind the monthly viewership numbers that competitors Netflix and Hulu pull in.

Comcast is betting it can give the site a boost with Fandango, as the loss of cable TV subscribers forces it to focus its future around its internet business.

Comcast’s “Peacock” streaming service was launched last week, with a library of NBC TV shows including 30 Rock and “The Tonight Show.”

Vudu, which also offers a free ad-supported streaming option, said it will not be shutting down and will still operate separately from the FandangoNow pay-per-view service.