Commentary
Vudu Debuts Video Store On Oculus, Provides VR Movie, TV Experience
- by Fern Siegel , October 14, 2021
Streamer Vudu just kicked up its experience.
Vudu is now the movie and TV store on Facebook's Oculus. Users can experience screen action in virtual reality, via an Oculus Quest 1 and 2 head set. They have the option of watching more than 200,000 movie and TV shows.
Fandango’s Vudu app on Oculus gives viewers theater-like sound and picture quality on various releases, including “Free Guy,” with Ryan Reynolds, available for rent at $5.99, as well as “The Addams Family 2," “Black Widow” and "The Jungle Cruise."
In addition, 3D movies can be watched on the Quest 2. Many titles are not on other subscription streamers.
“Fandango’s mission is to usher fans to the most moving entertainment experiences, and we’re certainly able to deliver that promise with the new Vudu app on Oculus,” said Fandango Chief Commercial Officer Kevin Shepela. He added the Oculus experience would “help transport fans to new worlds in the most immersive formats available.”
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The news is part of Fantango’s overall expansion.
In 2019, Fandango launched a FandangoNow app for Oculus Go and Quest VR headsets. Two months ago, Fandango merged its on-demand platforms, Vudu and Fandango Now. The new Vudu service claims more than 75 million U.S. households, according to The NPD Group, with 60 million+ registered users.
Fandango acquired Vudu from Walmart in April 2020.
Vudu is carried on numerous devices, including Samsung, LG and Vizio Smart TVs, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Xfinity X1 and Xfinity Flex, PlayStation, Xbox and TiVo.
Separately, Discovery, Inc. and LG Electronics USA announced the streamer discovery+ is now available on LG Smart TVs in the U.S.
“The arrival of the discovery+ app on LG Smart TVs delivers a new range of premium, educational and inspiring content to LG TV owners,” said Peggy Ang, LG’s vice president of marketing. Some 60,000 episodes of shows from Discovery’s networks, including HGTV, Food Network, TLC, ID, OWN, Travel Channel, Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and Magnolia Network, are available on its streamer, discovery+.
VIZIO Smart TVs recently launched discovery +, while LG added the HBO Max app in August.
The Science Channel always seems to be left off the channels available from Discovery+. For some of us, it's one of the top 3 channels Discovery offers; too bad it never gets mentioned.