Dish Network Corp. won Blockbuster Inc. in a bankruptcy auction for about $320 million, a move that could see the second-largest U.S. satellite TV provider tapping the movie rental chain’s online content to strengthen its offerings. Get the full story »
Inside these posts: Video rental
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Judge clears way for Blockbuster sale
A judge Thursday cleared the way for movie-rental company Blockbuster Inc. to sell itself to a group of hedge funds, after lawyers spent all day in courthouse hallways brokering a deal with movie studios that had objected to the sale terms. The ruling gives the movie studios a better deal and staves off immediate liquidation of Blockbuster’s assets. Get the full story »
Blockbuster faces possible evictions as woes mount
Blockbuster’s landlords want to evict the bankrupt movie rental chain from dozens of stores if they are not immediately paid past-due rent, adding to the company’s woes in Chapter 11.
Blockbuster is already facing demands from the film studio behind the hit “Twilight” vampire series that it pay its bills or liquidate. Get the full story »
Amazon buys Lovefilm, Britain’s Netflix
U.S. online retailer Amazon.com is to buy the 58 percent of British DVD and games rental firm Lovefilm it does not already own for an undisclosed price, it said on Thursday.
Lovefilm, whose Europe-focused business has a similar model to U.S. video rental firm Netflix Inc., has built a movie rental-by-mail business and has also started streaming digital movies. Get the full story »
Blockbuster kiosks to test early rentals for $2.99
The company that runs Blockbuster Express kiosks is testing whether people will pay more to rent DVDs and Blu-ray discs of new movies 28 days before they are available from other vending machines. Get the full story »
Netflix partner vows to fight Comcast fees
Netflix network partner Level 3 Communications said it will resist efforts by Comcast to force it to pay fees for delivering online movies to Comcast customers. Get the full story »
Netflix raises prices, offers stream-only service
Netflix introduced a new plan Monday that, for the first time, relies solely on video streamed over the Internet rather than the DVDs that it has mailed to customers since the company was founded more than a decade ago.
The shift demonstrates how quickly consumers have transitioned from physical media players to digital entertainment that can be browsed, watched again, or discarded without ever having handled a disk. Get the full story »
Fox wins delay on rentals at Blockbuster kiosks
NCR Corp., which operates Blockbuster Express DVD rental kiosks, has agreed to delay rentals of 20th Century Fox DVDs until 28 days after their release, in its second such deal with a studio.
NCR’s competitors, Coinstar Inc-owned kiosk company Redbox, and Netflix, have also agreed to 28-day delays from several studios.
But NCR said its agreement with News Corp.’s movie studio also allows the kiosk operator to test premium-pricing in select markets for renting out Fox DVDs the same day those titles hit stores. Get the full story »
Level 3 to be a primary Netflix CDN provider
Level 3 Communications Inc. said it will become a primary content delivery network provider for Netflix Inc, starting from the new year. The communications service, which is based in Colorado, will store the entire Netflix streaming library of more than 20,000 titles, it said in a statement, in addition to supporting Netflix for streaming movies and TV shows. Get the full story »
Netflix posts higher 3Q earnings as revenue grows
Netflix Inc. on Wednesday said its third-quarter net income grew as the online movie rental company continued to attract subscribers, particularly to its Internet streaming service.
The company also raised its subscriber growth forecast for the current quarter, sending shares higher in after-hours trading.
Redbox adding video games in Chicago
(AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Oakbrook Terrace-based Redbox is adding video games to its $1 a night DVD-rental kiosks in Chicago this month as part of an expanded video game test pilot.
Kiosks will be stocked with games for Wii, Playstation and Xbox 360, the company said, in select markets in the West, Midwest and Atlantic coast regions and are available for $2 per night.
Get the full story »
Blockbuster nears awaited bankruptcy
Blockbuster Inc. is in the final stages of preparing a long-awaited bankruptcy filing, marking a milestone in consumers’ shift away from brick-and-mortar video stores to films delivered by mail and the Internet.
Blockbuster, struggling amid more than $900 million in debt, could file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the next few days, said people familiar with the matter. The filing could come as soon as Wednesday, they said, and is likely to come by Friday or sometime next week. Get the full story »
Blockbuster gets debt reprieve as losses mount
Blockbuster Inc. has won its second debt-payment deadline extension in as many months, but the struggling video rental chain reported a wider loss and warned it might have to liquidate, sending its shares plummeting more than 20 percent Friday. Get the full story »
Blockbuster delisted but dodges bankruptcy
Blockbuster Inc stayed a step ahead of bankruptcy after winning a crucial one-month reprieve on debt payments, but was forced to begin the process of delisting from the New York stock exchange. Get the full story »
