Items tagged with Redbox
For many years, Redbox has been the spiritual successor to the movie-renting behemoths of the 1990’s. Customers have been able to find the little red kiosks at places like grocery stores and rent a movie for a day. Now we've learned that Redbox will be venturing back into streaming on a trial basis. A Redbox spokesperson revealed that they have started to test “Redbox Digital” with a few customers. The company stated, “We are testing a potential new transactional digital VOD and EST offering, with a small subset of our customers, designed to complement our core kiosk rental business. As we test and learn from our customers, we will make evaluations that determine any future course of action.”Redbox...
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Redbox is putting the word out that it plans to hike the price of its DVD rentals by 25 percent next month, as well increase the cost of borrowing Blu-ray discs. Effective December 2, 2014, the price for DVDs will increase to $1.50 per day, up from $1.20, while Blu-Ray discs will jump $0.50 to $2. Starting January 6, 2015, the price of video games will triple from $1 to $3 per day go from $2 to $3 per day. "This is only our second price increase in 12 years, and the first for Blu-ray discs and games, so you can be sure that we made this decision very carefully," Redbox stated in an email. "We know that hearing about a price increase isn't the best news, but we feel it's necessary in order to...
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Easy come, easy go, as they say. Such would be a fitting banner on Redbox Instant's website because in just two days, the service will disappear just as quickly as it arrived. News of Redbox Instant's impending closure has been making the rounds all over the web, and Verizon confirmed the validity of those reports with a goodbye message on its website. "Thank you for being a part of Redbox Instant by Verizon. Please be aware that the service will be shut down on Tuesday, October 7, 2014, at 11:59 PM Pacific Time," Verizon said in a statement. "Information on applicable refunds will be emailed to current customers and posted here on October 10." Image Source: Flickr (zyphbear) Verizon said that...
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Google’s charming little Chromecast dongle has proven to be quite a popular device, and the latest app to add Chromecast to its list of supported devices is Redbox Instant. The latest version, 1.5.1, includes Chromecast support as well as minor bug fixes. Redbox Instant allows users unlimited movie streaming on your phone or tablet--and now, your TV--as well as the ability to reserve movies as a Redbox kiosk or buy or rent movies, even if you don’t have a subscription to Redbox. Chromecast already supports quite a few choice apps, including Netflix, YouTube, HBO Go, Hulu Plus, Pandora, MLB TV, Google Play Movies and Music, and more. You can also “cast” a Chrome browser...
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Sony's PlayStation 4 is so close that most gamers can almost taste it, but if the PS2's lifecycle is any indication of how the PS3 will be treated even after it's not the top dog, we're guessing it'll be around for a very long while. The PlayStation 3 is no slouch, even today, and it's one incredible media machine. Besides gaming, the PS3 has always marketed itself as a "do everything" set-top box, and a couple of new applications are being ported over to further prove that it's not kidding about that stance. TuneIn Radio has quickly become a go-to radio app for mobile users, and now it's coming to the PS3 and PS Vita. You'll get access to over 70,000 radio stations, live music, sports, talk...
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Roku has already crafted a bit of a name for itself as the best, slickest, most fully-featured streaming box around, and it's about to get even better. Redbox Instant, the latest streaming service to rival the likes of Hulu, Amazon and Netflix, already launched on Google TV -- but soon, it'll be in far more homes due to the added support of Roku. The service will hit the Roku streaming platform "this summer," offering up $8/month access to tons of digital content as well as four credits for use at Redbox kiosks. "We've received overwhelming demand from our customers for Redbox Instant by Verizon on their Roku devices, and we're pleased to be expanding the service this summer to meet that demand,"...
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A new streaming movie service is in town: Redbox. That’s right, Coinstar, the company behind those red movie boxes in front of pharmacies everywhere, has teamed up with Verizon to create an online movie streaming service. The new Redbox Instant is tied to the brick and mortar (well, metal and plastic) boxes, so signing up for the service can also net you a few free DVDs from your local box each month. Some movies are available via the new Redbox Instant subscription, but others you'll need to pick up at the ol' Redbox. If you already use Amazon Prime or Netflix, you’ll find that there’s some significant overlap. Redbox Instant’s catalog of 4,600 movies is made up of Epix...
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In the world of exploding markets, video streaming is high atop the list. Amazon, Apple, Google, Microsoft -- pretty much every major consumer electronics name is wrapped up in video streaming in some way. And now, even a name that's linked tightly to nightly DVD rentals is venturing into the virtual world after finding success in the physical market. Redbox Instant has been talked about for some time now, but one major point remained unanswered: where would it arrive in terms of the console landscape? This week, Microsoft's own Major Nelson announced that Redbox Instant by Verizon will be coming to the Xbox 360 "in the very near future." And that's the good news. The bad news, unfortunately,...
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We've known Verizon and Coinstar were teaming up to offer a streaming and physical media service similar to Netflix. Earlier this month, we even heard suggestions the service could launch by the end of this year. With just over two weeks of 2012 left, there's not much time for these two companies to get the service off the ground if they want to have it live before the end of the year. Now, Verizon Communications and Coinstar have officially said they will launch a video streaming service later this month. The service will launch as a public beta. Subscriptions will start at $8 per month for unlimited streaming and four one-night rentals at Redbox DVD kiosks. A $9 monthly Redbox Instant plan...
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Back in February, we heard tell that Verizon was teaming up with Coinstar (maker of those Redbox DVD rental kiosks you see everywhere) to develop a streaming and physical media service not unlike Netflix. Now, it appears that the service--dubbed “Redbox Instant by Verizon”--is in the offing. GigaOM uncovered some key details of the new service, including the fact that it’s still in private beta. After stumbling across Redbox Instant by Verizon’s beta Help page (the link to which has subsequently been removed from public view), GigaOM offered up some interesting details. For starters, the service will start at just $6 per month, which undercuts Netflix’s $7.99 streaming-only...
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The movie rental market couldn't be hotter. From digital distribution to Redbox, it's a booming market, and movie studios are still struggling to figure out how to best approach the growth. Redbox and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment have inked a new multi-year agreement to bring Warner Bros.' Blu-ray Disc and DVD titles to Redbox kiosks 28 days after their retail release dates. That's a big deal for movie lovers, who probably figured they were going to have to wait a lot longer to see discs hit their local Redbox. Previously, the gap between shipping to places like Walmart and hitting kiosks from Redbox was over 50 days. In addition, Redbox announced plans to join the Digital Entertainment Content...
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Redbox has been on a roll lately. The DVD rental service recently knocked out its competition in the kiosk market by buying out Blockbuster's kiosks, it's renewed its agreement with Universal (while flipping the finger at Warner Bros., which tried to double the new release rental window from 28 days to 56 days), and has now served up 2 billion rentals. The two billionth disc was rented at a McDonald's restaurant in Philomath, Oregon (the move was Drive, in case you're curious), and to celebrate the occasion, everybody is invited to enjoy a free one-night movie rental on Thursday, March 8, by using a promo code "THANKS2U" (minus the quotes), as posted on Redbox's Facebook page. "We've always known...
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Redbox did something with Universal that it wasn't able to do with Warner Bros., and that's hammer out a multi-year agreement that will continue to make Universal DVDs and Blu-ray discs available for rental nationwide 28 days following their home release. The 28-day window has become somewhat of a standard between movie studios and new age DVD rental services like Redbox and Netflix. "The multi-year agreement between Universal Studios Home Entertainment and Redbox represents a win for consumers, Universal and Redbox," said Galen Smith, senior vice president, Redbox. "Redbox is committed to forging relationships that provide our consumers with affordable and timely access to new release content."...
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Verizon and Redbox are teaming up to offer physical media as well as streaming content to subscribers. Although details are still a bit sparse at the moment, Verizon and Coinstar have said the service will offer the convenience and value of Redbox new release disc rentals along with a new content-rich video on-demand streaming and download service from Verizon. According to the announcement, customers will be able to use "the media and devices they prefer" though no specific devices are mentioned. The service is expected to launch in the second half of this year. Verizon and Coinstar's Redbox Form Joint Venture to Create New Consumer Choice for Video Entertainment Joint Venture Will Offer the...
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Shares of Netflix rose by more than 6 percent on Monday after a trade publication reported Verizon was kicking around the idea of acquiring the streaming service. The publication -- Deal Reporter -- didn't reveal its sources, but was very clear about Verizon wanting to get into the streaming sector, and that buying Netflix was a very real possibility. But is it true? That depends on who you ask. Bloomberg today countered the original story by apparently confirming with "two people with knowledge of the situation" that Verizon hasn't talked about making a move to acquire Netflix and that the two companies haven't discussed a transaction of any kind. Verizon and/or Netflix could dispel the rumor...
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We just got word from Redbox that starting on Monday, October 31, the daily rental charge for DVDs will increase 20 percent to $1.20 per day. According to Redbox, the price hike is intended to offset rising operating expenses, such as increases in debit card fees. Blu-ray discs, video game rentals, and additional day charges for DVDs rented prior to Halloween won't be affected, Redbox said. As as show of good faith and to help ease the transition, Redbox said it will discount the first day of all online DVD rentals to a buck from October 31, 2011 through November 30, 2011. Subsequent days will cost $1.20. Why 20 cents? Redbox says it "conducted several months of testing and with careful consideration,...
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Redbox, the DVD rental box service that's sweeping the nation, has just reached 1.5 billion DVD and Blu-ray Disc rentals. That's a pretty staggering number. The company launched their service in 2004, which means it only took 7 years to reach the milestone. Furthermore, they've also rented over 4 million video games during the period. 1.5 billion rentals x ~$1 each… well, that's not a bad stack of cash to have rolling in. To celebrate, the company is launching 5000 more kiosks starting today, and with those in the rotation, they'll have a whopping 27,000 kiosks across the U.S. Any guesses as to how long it'll take for the company to hit the next 1.5 billion?...
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This summer, you’ll be able to visit your local Redbox to get your hands on some of the latest video game titles. Beginning June 17, 2011, Redbox will offer Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Nintendo Wii titles at more than 21,000 Redbox locations nationwide. Top video games will be available for $2 a day. As you may recall, Redbox began offering video game rentals at select locations back in August 2009. At the 5,000 locations that currently offer video game titles, Redbox has enjoyed great success. According to Redbox, the video game titles will range from top releases to popular family and kids titles. Game On! Redbox Announces It Will Offer Video Game Rentals Nationwide This June OAKBROOK...
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Are you fed up with Netflix? Redbox just not working out? We highly doubt you'll be answering "yes" to those, but if so, help is on the way from a pretty wild source. Google's YouTube has just launched their first major movie rentals, making it an instant competitor in a small but powerful network of companies who are driving pay-TV executives up the wall. Facebook has already started to trial this kind of thing, and it makes sense for YouTube to try their hand as well. According to reports, Google's working to line up more deals with movie companies in order to launch a full-fledged rental program with titles from Sony, Warner Bros., and more. YouTube already rents indie films for $2.99, but...
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It's a shame, but no one can honestly say that they didn't see this coming. Blockbuster has been dwindling for years. They simply haven't been "popular" in years, and many younger folks don't even acknowledge their existence. These days, it's all about Netflix, Redbox and streaming media. Even cable TV is becoming a lot like Blockbuster: unnecessary. For years, the idea of renting films and video games from a retail shop made perfect sense. But this was before we had things like broadband Internet everywhere and by-mail DVD rentals. The company has been sliding ever since, and even though they tried the streaming thing themselves, they never really stood a chance against Netflix, who had already...
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Ready for battle? Redbox is, but who knows if Netflix is geared up as well. The rumors have been swirling for months now, and the Los Angeles Times is now reporting that Redbox could be preparing itself for a serious showdown with Netflix in the streaming arena. Currently, Redbox only has rental kiosks. The $1-per-night tactic has worked well on DVDs, but it's clear that physical media doesn't have a tremendously long life ahead of it. Streaming content is definitely the future, and they're looking to get in now rather than waiting for Netflix to truly wrap up the market. According to the report, Redbox President Mitch Lowe made clear at an analyst meeting that a new streaming option would be...
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Have you been out to a DVD rental kiosk lately? What about a movie rental store? Opened your mailbox only to find a Netflix envelope? We're guessing that you may have utilized Netflix or Redbox lately, but when's the last time you actually drove out to a movie rental store to find a flick? It's happening less and less overall, and now there are figures to prove it. NPD Group's VideoWatch service has found that for the first time, the share of DVDs and Blu-ray Discs (BDs) rented from Redbox and other standalone kiosks overtook the share of retail store rentals in the U.S. Netflix and other subscription services comprised 41 percent of video rental turns in the third quarter of 2010, followed by...
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