Jan 07
Ring ring ring, all aboard the content-mobile. Roku doesn’t have the best interface, but there’s now an officially overwhelming amount of stuff to watch on those little pucks. More »
Dec 05
Some individuals claiming to be on the inside have revealed that Blockbuster plans to sell phones at its retails stores, of which there are about 850. The company already offers phones online from the likes of T-Mobile, Sprint, AT&T, and Verizon. This information comes via Bloomberg, where the unnamed sources provided a few details.
Currently, you can pull up a host of devices on Blockbuster’s website, with each device listening its key features and a link to its carrier’s website. A notice says under the devices, “Activate your device and get discounts worth more than $25!” There’s no word on what phones Blockbuster will sell at its retail locations or when it will start.
Blockbuster, maimed due to the rise of Netflix, was acquired by Dish a few years ago. Soon after taking over the company, Dish closed hundreds of Blockbuster stores, taking the total count from about 1700 to 850. This represents only a small fraction of the empire that used to be Blockbuster, which, eight years ago, offered approximately 9000 brick-and-mortar stores.
In an effort to stay above water, Blockbuster began offering an online DVD rental program similar to Netflix. It is now a base where Dish hocks its satellite TV subscriptions, and, presumably, where it will advertise its planned wireless service alongside the phones it will begin selling. The company’s chairman Charlie Ergen revealed in October that Dish plans to use Blockbuster to sell phones and unveil its wireless service, which is currently on hold pending instructions from the FCC.
[via Bloomberg]
Blockbuster plans to sell phones at its retail stores, sources say is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Dec 05
Dish Network reportedly plans to begin selling mobile phones out of Blockbuster’s brick-and-mortar stores. Even more shocking, Blockbuster still has brick-and-mortar stores. More »
Oct 25
Warner Bros. may have doubled its 28-day embargo on new releases for kiosk operators (even if they side-step it), but endangered bricks-and-mortar rental stores could be treated to the exact opposite. A rumor coming from Home Media Magazine’s unnamed sources suggests the WB is going to ditch the embargo for these locations altogether, starting on October 30th. We have no idea why this break would be offered to the relic stores, although we doubt they care if it gets a few more bodies through the door. Warner Bros. has a recent habit of quiet implementation, but just to be sure, we’ve reached out for confirmation and will update you if-and-when we hear more.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Warner Bros. to ditch 28-day release delay for rental stores? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Oct 2012 13:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Oct 05
It’s been an especially bumpy road for the Blockbuster brand these past few years, and things just got a bit more rough. In an interview with Bloomberg, Dish Network founder and CEO Charlie Ergen confirmed that the company is abandoning its current efforts to challenge Netflix with Blockbuster, saying that it no longer plans to use the brand as a video streaming or DVD-by-mail service in the US. Ergen did say that Dish had other plans for Blockbuster, but he didn’t elaborate on what those may be. He also seems to be fairly resigned to the whole matter, saying “worst case, we’ll take our money after having wasted some time, not much money, and life goes on.”
Dish gives up effort to turn Blockbuster into a Netflix competitor originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Oct 2012 12:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Oct 05
When Dish bought Blockbuster after its bankruptcy last year, the company had plans to overhaul their movie streaming and DVD-by-mail service for Dish customers by using Blockbuster stores to sell mobile devices that would be used to stream Blockbuster movies. However, it turns out Dish is going to pull a 180 and scrap its plans to turn Blockbuster into an ultimate Netflix competitor.
The company ended up selling a lot of its Blockbuster retail locations, which will easily save the company money and even turn start turning a profit. However, around 900 Blockbuster stores will remain open in rural areas where streaming media over the internet isn’t prominent. Of course, that’s still almost half the number of Blockbuster stores that were once sprouted all over the country.
The mobile devices that Dish was planning on selling in Blockbuster stores didn’t end up going into effect mostly because U.S. regulators didn’t approve a waiver that would allow the company to use its satellite spectrum for streaming movies. Apparently, that was all it took for Dish to give up and scrap plans for the project.
Dish customers already have access to a Blockbuster online streaming service where they have access to more than 100,000 movies and TV episodes. They can also get DVDs by mail at a rate of one disc out at a time. The service only costs $10 per month, which is considerably cheaper than what Netflix offers. However, in order to really compete with Netflix, the company had to get into the mobile game, which they’ve been obviously struggling with. Dish still plans to shake things up with its Blockbuster service, but we’re not told what those plans are exactly.
[via Bloomberg]
Blockbuster ditches plans for Netflix competitor is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
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