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.
Vudu announced some additional projects at a digital marketing event on Friday. Other shows include Friends in Strange Places, a travel/comedy show (Queen Latifah is attached as an executive producer), Albedo, a science fiction series (starring Ant-Man and the Wasp and LOST’s Evangeline Lilly), Turning Point with Randy Jackson, an interview documentary series, Blue’s Clues & You a remake of the children’s series (in conjunction with Nickelodeon), Adventure Force 5, a movie about a band of tech-minded teenagers who save their town from aliens, and a weekly entertainment magazine with Variety called Variety’s First Look. The platform also says that it’s going to be testing an interactive show later this year. The shows will debut in 2019 and 2020.
Those original shows will supplement Vudu’s already extensive digital catalog of films. Variety says that the series will be free for viewers, and that it’ll be supported by new “shoppable in-stream ads,” which will allow users to buy items directly from the ad, or get more information via e-mail.
