A lot has been made of Warner Bros. and its new eight-week window for DVD rental firms. But the new window is unlikely to change much for companies like Netflix, Redbox or Blockbuster. While Netflix users will wait longer, Blockbuster and Redbox users likely won’t. Read More »
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Redbox was expected to be one of the big beneficiaries of Netflix’s most recent price change. But there wasn’t any apparent effect in Redbox’s numbers, as parent Coinstar reported revenues just slightly above Wall Street consensus. Worse, Redbox announced it is raising rates itself. Read More »
Amazon announced today that it has more than 100,000 titles available for rent in its online video-on-demand library. That’s a big number, but it’s not really a threat to Netflix’s subscription streaming service. After all, bigger isn’t always better, and people love all-you-can-eat services. Read More »
Beginning next week, Redbox users will be able to get discounts on rentals when they check in at kiosks on Foursquare. For the location-based service, it’s one way to grab new users who don’t already share where they are, and introduce them to new places. Read More »
Now there’s even more evidence that movie viewers are turning to a rental, rather than a purchase, model for their home entertainment needs. Subscription services like Netflix and kiosk rentals from Redbox were bright spots in an otherwise dismal second quarter for the big Hollywood studios. Read More »
Netflix subscribers are still unhappy with the company’s price change, which increases the cost of unlimited streaming and one DVD out by 60 percent. The good news is that the number who will unsubscribe altogether is likely overstated due to the emotional response to the change. Read More »
The Netflix blog has seen thousands of comments ever since the company announced its new pricing structure earlier today, with many customers threatening to cancel altogether. People are also turning to Facebook and Twitter in what looks like a major backlash against the company. Read More »
Dish Network unveiled its first cross-promotional deal with the Blockbuster assets it just picked up in a bankruptcy auction. Under the promotion, Dish will provide three months of free access to Blockbuster’s DVD-by-mail service to any new subscribers of its satellite TV service. Read More »
Dish Network and Carl Icahn have joined the bidding for Blockbuster in advance of a bankruptcy court auction next week. But after years of failing to adapt, will a new investor or management team be able to turn around the beleaguered DVD rental firm? Read More »
What would happen if you mashed up Redbox’s $1 a night movie rentals with Netflix’s online streaming service? You’d probably get something like Zediva, which lets you rent DVDs online and stream them — subtitles, special features and all — over the Internet. Read More »
Disney discussed its digital strategy at its Investor Conference, announcing an initiative called Studio All Access and citing the need to experiment with different digital distribution platforms and strategies. At the same time, it is raising the rates it charges DVD rental firms for its discs. … Read More »
Redbox is still dragging its feet on streaming, telling analysts yesterday that it was still picking a partner for a subscription service that will be launched later this year. But it has its work cut out for it if it plans to compete against Netflix. Read More »
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