Redbox Plans To Launch New Streaming Service 'Redbox Digital' (consumerreports.org)

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Consumer Reports: Redbox, the movie and game-rental kiosk service, might be getting back into the streaming game a few years after its digital streaming service, Redbox Instant, failed. The new Redbox streaming service could be a pay-per-view option for rentals and purchases like Apple iTunes or Vudu. The trade publication Variety -- which broke the story, citing "multiple sources" familiar with the company -- said that the new service will be called Redbox Digital and that Redbox is close to launching a beta of the service. Compared to a subscription service, negotiating the rights to pay-per-view titles should be easier for Redbox. And since many Redbox streaming customers already use their site to search for and reserve titles, it would be much more convenient for them to be able to immediately order a digital version. Another potential benefit would be the price of the rentals. The reason why physical Redbox kiosks are popular is because the $1.50 rental price for DVDs, and $2 rental price for Blu-ray discs are relatively cheap. Redbox Digital may gain some attraction if, and only if, there are considerable savings for users, otherwise there would be little reason to choose Redbox over a more established pay-per-view service, such as Amazon Instant, Google Play, or Vudu.

Comments

Re:As opposed to Redbox analog?

[darthsilun]

$15 is a bit low for owning it on DVD; I've seen it on Costco for $18 on DVD, higher on BluRay. Wait a while and you'll probably be able to get the DVD for $12.

OTOH I did see it in the theater for $10. Big screen was well worth it for the stunning visuals.

Now that I've watched it two more times on a six inch screen during a flight I'm not sure I'd bother owning it. (Yes, I've read the book too.).

And having worked at JPL the "JPL scenes" that aren't actually at JPL leave me a tad underwhelmed. Not to mention that JPL does robotic exploration, and wouldn't have much of anything to do with manned missions – to Mars, or anywhere else.

The Big Red elephant in the envelope

[goombah99]

How is it possible this story fails to use the word "netflix"? Redbox is nice and I use it when I want burst mode on my DVDs that I can't get from Netflix but it so far has few things netflix doesn't and netlfix is cheaper. Redbox also get expensive when you screw up, and indeed that happens. Netflix is slowly calving off it's DVD from its streaming service. I assume there is a financial logic here but at face value that's dumb. Integrate them. They open the door for Redbox more by doing that. BUT, here's why I'm pretty sure they are splitting them. If they are separate then the content producers can't charge them more for a DVD than it's face value, and they can even negotiate for less than face value. But if they are integrated the producers can hold the streaming service hostage to claw even more cash for the DVD rentals. Redbox is opening themselves up to this blackmail on their core rental bussiness if they make streaming and rentals combined.