In October last year, Walmart’s streaming service Vudu pushed into original programming through a deal with Hollywood studio MGM. Today, at its NewFront presentation, Vudu announced further partnerships with Viacom, Studio71, Bell Canada, Variety, interactive content startup Eko, and more, as well as details about the lineup of programming coming out of those deals.
With Viacom, Vudu’s signed an exclusive deal to air the first three episodes of Nickelodeon’s upcoming remake of flagship children’s show Blue’s Clues. Called Blue’s Clues & You, the show will, like the original, feature an animated world and characters with a live-action host. Vudu will host the start of the series prior to it airing on Nickelodeon’s linear TV channel in November. As part of the deal, when Blue’s Clues & You drops, Vudu will also offer users a selection of episodes from the original series.
Vudu’s second production due out in 2019 is Adventure Force 5, made with Studio71 and Zoic. The 90-minute live-action movie is about a ragtag band of techie kids whose small coastal town is taken hostage by an evil genius and his army of alien robots.
Last up, Vudu’s third 2019 debut is Variety’s First Look, a weekly unscripted show that tracks the goings-on in the entertainment world, with exclusive access to information about trending movies and TV shows.
As for next year, Vudu’s partnership with Canadian network eOne and phone company Bell Canada will see sci-fi series Albedo. The series comes from Brad Peyton, the director of Rampage and San Andreas, and the writers of X-Men and Watchmen. Albedo stars Lost’s Evangeline Lilly, who plays a detective sent to the far reaches of our solar system to investigate a murder aboard an isolated space station.
Next is Friends in Strange Places, in partnership with content creation studio Electus. The unscripted series stars Queen Latifah as she challenges her celebrity friends to explore the U.S. and find its hidden travel gems.
Also in 2020, Vudu’s making Turning Point with Randy Jackson thanks to a deal with advertising company Tiny Horse. In the unscripted series, American Idol judge Jackson will travel the U.S. and meet with master musicians to talk about their craft and the history of music.
Aside from announcing programming onstage, Vudu also promoted its partnership with Eko, which will result in interactive content debuting later this year. What exactly that content will be isn’t yet clear; onstage, Vudu’s senior director Julian Franco just mentioned the programming’s on its way.
Currently available from the Vudu-Eko partnership is ‘Shoppable In-Stream Ads,’ Vudu’s new marketing strategy, which causes an ‘Add To Cart’ function to pop up as ads are playing. Users can then click to add advertised items to a virtual shopping cart on Walmart.com.
You can check out the rest of Tubefilter‘s interviews from our ‘Insights from the 2019 Digital Content NewFronts’ video series right here:
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