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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsToo little, too late: Blockbuster gives up on trying to beat Netflix
Growing up, Blockbuster was the place to go to get videos. When I was a kid, wed drive down to the now-shuttered big, bright corner store in Santa Monica to pick out movies to watch. Later, in college, I patronized Berkeleys local indie shop Reel Video (also now defunct) on the rare occasions that I wanted to rent something. But by my junior year in college (2003), Ialong with millions of Americansdiscovered Netflix, and happily devoured as many films as I could.
In other words, I pretty much havent thought about Blockbuster in well over a decadeand yet, the tenacious company is still out there. (Theres one just around the corner from me in Oakland!) Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
It was just a year ago that Blockbuster announced it would be offering a mailed DVD and streaming movie service (yes, à la Netflix) as a way to go head-to-head with the California company that has re-defined how we consume TV and movies.
But this week, Dish Network (Blockbusters parent company) CEO Charlie Ergen said the company is now giving up on that strategy.
http://arstechnica.com/business/2012/10/too-little-too-late-blockbuster-gives-up-on-trying-to-beat-netflix/
porphyrian
(18,530 posts)DainBramaged
(39,191 posts)porphyrian
(18,530 posts)Curtland1015
(4,404 posts)"Ha! That's the stupidest thing I ever heard!"
Of course, now I can't live without it.
Cha
(297,323 posts)Wow, how does that even work?! I remember opening my first dvd and nearly screwing it up. Now, I can do it in my sleep.
FSogol
(45,491 posts)Fumesucker
(45,851 posts)When the business paradigm changes, whatever it might be, it's rare for the established company in the old paradigm to successfully move to the new one and also be competitive there.
Netflix themselves might be in trouble too, it wasn't that long ago they managed to hack off a lot of their customers.
Cha
(297,323 posts)competition is good for netflix.. keeps them getting better which I have appreciated. I imagine they're helping the USPS's economy, too.
Their Instant Watching could use some more More variety..that may be my fault since I watch a lot!
JI7
(89,252 posts)Liberal_in_LA
(44,397 posts)local 99cent store. never saw them being used.