Target enters the video service fray against iTunes and Amazon

Other companies such as Disney have tried it, but nobody has been able to crack into the market that Apple and Amazon have dominated for years. Now, Target wants to take a shot.

Target Ticket, the US retailer’s video-on-demand offering, has today launched to the public. After months of beta testing, Target Ticket is now live with a catalog of over 30,000 movies and more than 50 episodes of “next-day TV.” There’s no signup fee or monthly subscription for Target’s instant video service; like iTunes and Amazon Instant Video, you simply pay for rentals and purchases when you want to watch them. Out of the gate, Target is aggressively trying to spread its service across as many viewing platforms as possible. Apps for Android, iOS, PC, Mac, Xbox 360, Roku boxes, and select Samsung TVs and Blu-ray players are available at launch. (Some movie purchases are also UltraViolet compatible to expand device compatibility even further.) And while Target Ticket isn’t a direct Netflix competitor, it’s borrowing some ideas from the streaming service including individual profiles for family members.