There's a New, Blue Enemy of the Video Marketplace

The future apparently begins when Wal-Mart says it does. Just a few months after Microsoft kicked off its digital download service through Xbox Live, the mega-retailer is dipping its massive toe into the water.

You can read the full story here. But this is a smattering.

"A “beta” version of the online video store, which debuted Tuesday, sells digital versions of about 3,000 films and television episodes from all the major studios and some TV networks, including Fox Broadcasting. Wal-Mart will not initially offer content from ABC, CBS or NBC, although the company said it hopes to add shows from those networks."

This isn't doom and gloom for Microsoft of course, for a couple of reasons.

1. They're Microsoft, there's very little that means doom and gloom for them short of nuclear winter.
2. Their services are a little different, Wal-Mart is only selling movies while Microsoft is renting them. That means Wal-Mart's service costs more, but they also aren't going to reach into your Xbox 360's brain and shake it until it forgets the movie like Microsoft does. TV episode prices are comparable.

On the list of things that should cause concern? Wal-Mart has bagged the big six studios: Walt Disney, Warner Brothers, Paramount, Sony, 20th Century Fox and Universal, the first service of its kind to do so.

I guess the biggest worry for me is that with three major players in this space, it's going to be nigh impossible for any one service to be comprehensive, as Apple, Microsoft and Wal-Mart all have the coin to make some big films and TV shows exclusive.

Ah well, as long as SOMEONE is making it possible for me to watch "CSI: Miami" at 3 a.m., we've already won.