BEND, Ore. (AP) — The Blockbuster store in a city near central Oregon became the last one in the U.S. last year. And soon it’ll be the only one in […]
The video-rental chain Blockbuster will shutter the few hundred stores that it still has in the next two months, said the company’s owner, Dish Network.
HBO Vs. Netflix Is Next Battle Of Hastings
Netflix boss Reed Hastings believes his biggest challenger isn’t Amazon, Blockbuster or even newcomer Verizon — but Time Warner’s HBO. After a string of stumbles that have crushed his stock, Hastings braved a crowded room yesterday to tell investors that his biggest fear was HBO’s relatively new Web service, while he downplayed the rest of his streaming rivals, including reports that Verizon was looking to launch a Netflix killer.
Charlie Ergen is weighing a move to offer live cable channels via the Web, likely under his Blockbuster brand name. Ergen, who runs satellite provider Dish Network Corp., is talking to program providers about their interest in supporting a service delivered exclusively via broadband and separate from authentication deals that give consumers online access to content with their Dish password, sources familiar with the plan say.
The service will be offered through Blockbuster, the video store chain that Dish Network bought out of bankruptcy court for $321 million five months ago and will compete directly with Netflix.
Analysts say Netflix Inc.’s higher prices, which kicked in today, are likely to drive business to video rental chain Blockbuster and other home entertainment rivals too, but none are better positioned to take advantage of the disruption than Redbox.
For the disgruntled bunch, or those looking to expand their media-consumption horizons, there are a growing number of options for watching movies and TV shows online, on DVDs or through cable TV’s on-demand services.
After acquiring Blockbuster for $320 million, out of bankruptcy court, Dish Network is using the new asset as a marketing tool. It’s offerning new subscribers three months of Blockbuster’s mail service for free.
Charlie Ergen just added another kind of home entertainment business to satellite operator Dish Network, picking up Blockbuster in a bankruptcy court auction with a bid worth about $320 million.