Mar 03
At the request of users, GameFly, the video game rental service, is going toe-to-toe with Netflix, taking the wraps off its new movie rental service. GameFly subscribers were introduced to … Continue reading
Jan 21
Last week, Blockbuster UK announced that it had entered administration, with Deloitte appointed as administrator. At the time, we weren’t sure what was going to happen to Blockbuster UK’s 528 stores and more than 4,000 employees, but today we’re getting a better idea. Deloitte has announced that a total of 160 stores will close, with an unknown amount of jobs being eliminated with this shutdown.
160 stores out of 528 doesn’t seem too bad, especially for a company that has been struggling as much as Blockbuster in recent years. It could definitely be worse, but this announcement doesn’t necessarily mean that the other 368 stores are out of the woods. Deloitte says that more closures may come by the time everything is said and done, so many employees are still bracing for the worst this morning.
The ultimate goal here is to turn Blockbuster UK into an attractive deal for potential buyers, and that’s obviously done by shutting down stores that aren’t making a profit as a means of saving money. Deloitte certainly has its work cut out for it, as Blockbuster – once the king of movie and game rentals – has been losing a lot of ground to digital retailers and streaming services like Netflix.
There doesn’t seem to be any word on which stores across the UK will be shutting down, but Deloitte will probably be ready to share that information soon. When Blockbuster announced that it was going into administration last week, it said that it would continue trading as usual, meaning that for the time being, nothing about Blockbuster’s business will be changing from a consumer perspective. Keep it here at SlashGear and we’ll keep you updated on Blockbuster UK’s bout with bankruptcy.
[via GamesIndustry International]
160 Blockbuster UK stores set to shut down is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Jan 16
Things just went from bad to worse for Blockbuster, with its UK arm entering administration today. That probably won’t come as much of a surprise to most folks, considering that Blockbuster has suffered at the hands of online retailers and streaming services like Netflix for years now. For the 4,190 employees who work at Blockbuster’s 528 stores in the UK, however, this certainly is sour news.
Deloitte has be named administrator for Blockbuster after becoming the administrator for struggling UK media retailer HMV just a few days ago. Deloitte’s task is now to make Blockbuster’s UK arm more attractive to potential buyers, with the ultimate goal of finding a purchaser for the embattled company. In a statement made to Eurogamer, Deloitte administrator Lee Manning cited increased competiton as a reason for Blockbuster’s decline.
“In recent years Blockbuster has faced increased competition from internet-based providers along with the shift to digital streaming of movies and games,” Manning said. He continued by pointing out that Blockbuster will still “trade as normal in both retail and rental,” and that the chain will still accept gift cards and trade-in credit toward purchases. So, for the moment at least, Blockbuster will continue business as usual, but it’s unknown how long that’s going to last.
Manning said the core of Blockbuster’s business is still profitable, which is both good news and bad news. It’s good news because that means it’s possible Deloitte will be able to trim down the business and ultimately secure a purchase, but bad news since administrators will likely need to shut down a large number of stores to get Blockbuster to the point where it looks like a good deal. We’ll be watching Blockbuster UK closely over the coming days and weeks, so keep it here at SlashGear for more.
[via Eurogamer]
Blockbuster UK faces administration with more than 4,000 jobs at risk is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Nov 29
The folks over at Gigaom have scored a variety of exclusive details about the upcoming Redbox Instant by Verizon video streaming service. The Netflix competitor has been slated for launch by the end of the year, but no official details have been released. The service’s help section, however, was available publically online, and revealed quite a few details.
Sadly, if you head over to the Redbox Instant Help Center now, you’ll be presented with a login screen that requires a password for access. However, before the company locked down the pages, several pieces of information were gleaned. Subscriptions to Redbox Instant by Verizon will be cheap, starting at $6 a month. This subscription will provide subscribers with complete access to Redbox’s video library.
The next subscription level is priced at $8 per month, and includes four credits per month for movie rentals at Redbox rental boxes. To ensure the machine has the right movie, users can reserve the DVD online or with the service’s app. Unused rental credits expire at the end of the month, so don’t get your hopes up on letting them build over time.
For those who want to watch videos offline, such as during a plane ride or while on vacation, Redbox Instant also offers video-on-demand rentals starting at $0.99. The rented videos can be downloaded onto a device, such as a tablet, and watched offline. Meanwhile, all online streaming is performed using Silverlight. To start with, Redbox Instant will only be available online, and on iOS/Android gadgets, certain Blu-ray players and Samsung televisions, as well as the Xbox 360 console. Up to five devices can be used with an Instant account. If the help files are any indication, the service may be launching on or around December 17.
[via Gigaom]
Redbox Instant by Verizon details surface, hint at mid-December launch is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
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 10
Canal Plus chief: Amazon, Netflix will bring video-on-demand to France early next year
Posted in: Today's Chili 
Amazon might be continuing its European HD streaming video invasion by arriving in France next March, according to Canal Plus’ president, Bertrand Meheu. The executive is well-placed to have that info, as he says his company will be supplying Amazon with content for the service’s launch on the Kindle Fire. If true, it’s not known yet if it would be in the form of Lovefilm, which launched in Germany and the UK recently, or if it would be available on PCs, Macs, Xbox 360 consoles or Smart TVs as it is elsewhere. Canal Plus has been fighting to keep such competitors out of the notoriously protectionist country, but it was recently blocked by a state watchdog from hoarding VOD rights exclusively for its own networks. The company also said that Netflix would arrive in France by “early 2013” — another credible claim, considering the huge amount of content it produces that the US streaming service would surely need.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD, Amazon
Canal Plus chief: Amazon, Netflix will bring video-on-demand to France early next year originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Oct 2012 17:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sep 19
Sky and Warner Bros. ink exclusive movie deal: iTunes, Netflix left out in cold
Posted in: Today's ChiliMovie lovers in the UK may struggle to find their title of choice to watch in the coming months, with news that Sky and Warner Bros. have signed an exclusive deal for new and back-catalog titles. The agreement covers both Sky’s on-demand and subscription Sky Movies services, and will see new Warner Bros. releases hit the broadcaster roughly six months after they finish showing in theaters. Other services will have to wait out a twelve month exclusivity period after that before they can offer titles like The Dark Knight Rises, and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.
Meanwhile, older titles from Warner Bros. storerooms will also be exclusive to Sky Movies. That includes all of the Batman movies, The Matrix, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, all Superman movies and Lethal Weapon 1, 2 and 3. Sky will offer them via its NOW TV IPTV service as well, though only to Sky customers.
It’s not the only Sky deal in recent weeks that has seen content become scarcer. Earlier this month, the broadcaster inked a deal for exclusive Bond film access, which saw the entire catalog of 007 films quietly yanked from the iTunes UK store. Instead, they’ll be shown on a dedicated on-demand channel on Sky.
HD and 3D versions of films will be shown, where available, though Sky is yet to confirm how much it will be asking for each title. Still, it’s a blow to rival services such as iTunes, Netflix, LOVEFILM, and other pay-per-view offerings, which will now face a sizable hole in their catalogs.
[via Engadget]
Sky and Warner Bros. ink exclusive movie deal: iTunes, Netflix left out in cold is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Aug 10
So far, Digiboo’s movie kiosks have been severely limited by a couple of factors, before you even get to the fact that their content is SD only. Firstly, they’ve required users to carry a USB stick on their person, and secondly they’ve only been able to transfer rentals to a Windows device. Today, however, the company has cleared a major hurdle on its passage to relevance, by allowing wireless transfers to any “Windows-enabled PC, laptop or tablet.” This should make Digiboo’s next step — Android support, which is promised to come this month — a whole lot easier.
Continue reading Digiboo movie kiosks now do wireless, still insist on Windows
Filed under: Transportation
Digiboo movie kiosks now do wireless, still insist on Windows originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Aug 2012 13:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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