VUDU TO BE ACQUIRED BY FANDANGO

[Yetisimo]

Terrible news

[Wasteland]

I don't see Fandango keeping M2D, unless they come out with their own program that is similar, but I just don't see them doing that.

I also don't see how they would keep IW, when it relies on buying from Walmart to get the digital via purchase. Same could be said for D+D. It's clear Walmart wanted to get rid of Vudu for a while, and that's 4 major things they will get to wash their hands of, if they end it all.

[TENIME]

I have sunk SO much money into Vudu, that assurances of my library being safe aren't good enough. I'd like to keep ADDING to my library, as well, and while Vudu hasn't been completely glitch-free, it has certainly been the least stressful/most inclusive platform I have used, and would like that to continue just the same.

[jeremymc7]

That has been a known risk since the start of streaming and has been further evidenced by things such as the failure of Target and other streaming providers, shutdown of UltraViolet, switch from Disney Movies to Movies Anywhere.

The only "safe" option is to only buy movies on disc and if they happen to have a digital code use that. But again services come and go and movies are lost in translation.

So again as far as streaming movie then the only safe option to create your own streaming network. I did this with all my DVD's but it was a pain. Lots of money, lots of time, regular maintenance. I gave up when blu-ray got hold and switch to Vudu. When 4K hold all but one of my friends scrapped their self streaming and went to Vudu as well.

[whipnet]

This totally blows. I feel like a chump spending so much money on WM/VUDU.

*

[sonofaslan]

I hope both Vudu and Fandango understand that most Vudu users have invested a lot of money in their Vudu collections, and in spite of assurances, we are very apprehensive about the future of our digital collections. We hope every effort is made to maintain the integrity of our collections. 

[Sandra]

I don't have much faith in Fandango. Not a great streaming service. Apple would have definitely been better. When UV went out my UV collection was OK for a short while on Fandango but then Fandango removed the UV folder and merged the movies with the others that were not UV. I had a copy of Braveheart that I purchased from Fandango in UHD more than a year before UV went down, they downgraded it to HD when they merged my movies. Also, my collection of Twilight movies were not complete after that. Breaking Dawn 2 says I have to purchase the movie. I already owned the movie for months. There were other movies that weren't available to me in UHD from Fandango that I purchased in UHD when they were merged with the "My Movies" library. I have well over a thousand movies in my VUDU collection. I just know Fandango is going to rip me off again if they start messing with the VUDU interface and my movie library. It is time to start buying physical discs again. Only sure way to have complete control. VUDU users are about to get screwed. Years ago after I joined VUDU in 2012 and digital streaming started up, another VUDU user told me .. "movie buffs are very apprehensive regarding digital movies". Yeah and this is why. I hope they prove me wrong but they didn't after UV went out. That's a fact!

[diamond204]

Everyone should stop with the doomsday talk until there is factual bad news to fret about. And right now there isn't. At all. Business will be as usual. That's in the announcement. For a while at minimum.

I would be far more concerned if my primary platform was fandangonow as I would guess that would be the platform to be dissolved.

Why do I say that? Fangangonow is not in the same user or tech league as vudu. Just look at the press release they talk about how many movies fandango has in their catalog and how many installs their app has. Neither has anything to do with revenue. Of the transactional retailers I think safe to say they are at the bottom or very close . Not acceptable for Comcast.

How do you fix that? Buy vudu and transition users from Fangangonow to vudu. Now you are in the big leagues with Apple and Amazon. Probably a step above Google. That will work for Comcast.

[jeremymc7]

Honestly think the interface will be Vudu, but will be renamed FandangoNow. FN will be ported over as will FN movies for Vudu people.

I have both and have some exclusives in FN since they offer $5 weekly specials; where Vudu is often $6.99 for same title.

FN also offers $5 credit with every 4 movies seen in theaters. Which when they were open and combined with my AMC pass was a sweet bargain. Got $5 every two weeks.

Could be best of both.

[Wasteland]

There's over 250 titles that's UHD on FN and not on Vudu, any chances Vudu will be getting those UHD transfers since they would be owned by the same company?

[quackman]

There's over 250 titles that's UHD on FN and not on Vudu, any chances Vudu will be getting those UHD transfers since they would be owned by the same company?

Good point! I have many UHD titles purchased on FN that are not on Vudu, or even Apple.

[quackman]

I love Vudu, it is the best by far in many ways, but this is why I transitioned to Apple as my main movie library. I don't see Apple iTunes movies ever going away, at least not in my lifetime. They are too big and too rich. I still buy a lot of movies on Vudu, but only if they are MA and port to Apple. Vudu and this forum is where I spend most of my time, but Apple is where I watch them.

[morfiend]

Everyone should stop with the doomsday talk until there is factual bad news to fret about.

anyone who has actually dealt with fandangonow support in the past has a factual bad news story. they just dont fix any issues you have - ever. i once bought justified over at fandangonow. and the series was missing episodes. i bought the complete series over there and it was missing like 10 random episodes across the series. i tried for months to get them to fix the episodes that were missing. i never got 1 episode back. was about to backcharge my creditcard on it. instead i reached out to sony - who i did not purchase the series through. sony had a new complete series code for me in under 24 hours. fandangonow? never did one thing to fix the issue.

when i lost titles that were UV during the merge to fandangonow? i tried for 2 years to get it fixed. never got 1 title back.

that is fandangonow. its wonderful until you have an issue. then you are SOL. fact.

[oneway23]

Now there's even less structural support in the marketplace to protect our movies. One less player in the game leads to greater dependence on the remaining pieces, and there's nothing to indicate momentum in the home media market is going in the right direction here. It's all contraction.

I've already seen various quirks and omissions with FandagoNow in terms of my library, and I'm not feeling very confident about entrusting them alone with my library.

[shmacckk]

I love Vudu, it is the best by far in many ways, but this is why I transitioned to Apple as my main movie library. I don't see Apple iTunes movies ever going away, at least not in my lifetime. They are too big and too rich. I still buy a lot of movies on Vudu, but only if they are MA and port to Apple. Vudu and this forum is where I spend most of my time, but Apple is where I watch them.

This is me as well. I moved over to apple when they started 4k upgrades for free. I have alot of movies here at vudu before I switched, but i slowly re bought all the non MA ones at apple and now only buy there unless vudu has a sale and its MA compat. Apple is not going anywhere anytime soon in my lifetime as well.