Blockbuster Using Its Deal With Warner Bros. To Mock Redbox And Netflix
from the getting-desperate? dept
You may recall that, at the end of March, Warner Bros. studios did a new deal with Blockbuster that seemed likely to confuse the hell out of consumers. That's because Warner Bros., in its backwards-looking wisdom, had already done deals with both Netflix and Redbox to not make new release movies available to rent until 28 days after their release. There is no good reason for this, other than it pisses off customers all around, and makes them less interested or inclined to bother watching Warner Bros. movies (hint to WB: you have competitors).But the Blockbuster deal seemed confusing -- because most consumers wouldn't be following these silly deals and wouldn't understand why a movie had been "released" but wasn't available via their favorite rental service. Apparently, Blockbuster's answer to all this is to mock Netflix and Redbox for not carrying new releases. Seriously. Reader Daylyn sends in the following ad he recently saw that points out that Netflix and Redbox don't carry this movie:
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Filed Under: delays, dvds, rentals
Companies: blockbuster, netflix, redbox, warner brothers
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Saw this today...
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Re: Saw this today...
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Redbox doesn't want to delay, but Warner won't sell them the disks.
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I prefer the super-liquor store anyway...
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No help
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lead to the the demise of Netflix
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I still remember their version of "Once upon a time in America"...
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I busted out the tools and worked one for 30 minutes before I got the DVD I paid to rent out of it. They were not happy when I returned the mangled box. Guess who refused to pay any penalty for their forgetting to unlock it?
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At no point in the 30 minutes did I think it would take more than "just another minute". I probably wouldn't have tackled it if I knew how diabolical the locking device - hence my props to them above for inventing it.
And it's over 15 minutes to the store, which was closed since I often work until midnight before starting a film.
Vandalize a product? Really? I rented a DVD, not a box. I should be able to assume access to the DVD, no?
Last argument: I couldn't care less about "refusing to pay" a $5 rental fee. My plan for that evening was to watch a certain movie. Getting my $5 back achieves that goal exactly how?
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Deceptive Advertising
Amazon video has the movie available for streaming and so does pay per view.
But the deceptive Blockbuster poster doesn't bother to mention that now, does it?
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Re: Deceptive Advertising
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Re: Deceptive Advertising
Perhaps they might not care and still patronize Netflix and Redbox based on price alone. They won't do so out of any sort of enlightened sense of outrage.
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New Sign....
Available via BB - X
Available via Netflix - X
Available via RedBox - X
[GET IT]
This drives me nuts as all it does it force people that would buy (or rent) into the "underworld".
I'm starting to see the eBook world do the same thing as the music and movie industries. My wife wants to do the "right thing" on eBooks, but the pricing makes no sense to her. They talk about them being cheaper, but that is in reference to a hard back book and not a paperback version. Less rights, no real ownership and more expensive than a paperback has my wife scratching her head. She won't deal with the torrent sites, so she just reserves the book at the library and waits it out. However, if it was less than $10, she'd just go ahead and buy it for the convenience - even with all the current restrictions.
And I think that is where the core issue is with these industries. They over value their product and over value the pain of getting their product through unauthorized sources. All these extra restrictions just frustrate and give justification to people to use the "alternative methods".
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Re: New Sign....
I mean, i guess its not much of a dilemma.
If WB thinks that removing convenience is the way to make more money, let them try it, but they've lost my (already slim) business
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Blame BB
The poster seems to be saying to me "We bought the monopoly on these rentals, so suck it!"
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Re: Blame BB
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Re: Re: Blame BB
You know, when AT&T first created an automated switched telephone network, it put a lot of operators out of work. Was that bad?
I mean, it only created the telecom revolution that also resulted in the internet. But according to your logic, we should have left everything with human operators because that created more jobs?
Innovation means making old systems more efficient. The vast majority of US jobs used to be in agriculture, but innovation decreased that massively. Did that hurt the US economy? No, it grew.
Making things more efficient, like Redbox and Netflix have done are a GOOD THING for the economy, because they open up more opportunities elsewhere.
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IMHO
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"Sherlock Holmes
Redbox? Nope.
Netflix? Nope.
Us? Oh Yeah!"
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Re:
Blockbuster - out of business
Hastings - Closed down last November
Hollywood Video - selling off inventory to close store
Redbox - added two new kiosks this month
Netflix - Still kicking
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Mocking?
It would seem to me that the consumer's confusion or ignorance around the deal that WB and BB struck would actually work in their favor. All the average consumer knows is that if they want to see Sherlock Holmes now (from one of the three top sources for rentals), they have to get it from BB. It may not be fair and it may not be in WB's best long term interest, but how could it be anything but good for BB?
Apparently, Blockbuster's answer to all this is to mock Netflix and Redbox for not carrying new releases.
So, where exactly is this mocking? I've actually seen those ads before and when I read his post, I thought to myself, "Well, Mike couldn't be talking about those because those aren't mocking in the least, so BB must have come out with some other sneaky or mean-spirited ads."
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Re: Mocking?
Think millions of people are going to rush out to BB simply to rent a few movies just because they can't through their services?
Hardly. Most people keep a significant queue and will not sweat this as they watch a few more movies in between.
At $5 per rental, people aren't going to waste cash this way anymore. That's why they switched to begin with.
This is both Warner Bros. and BB grabbing at straws and when they're pulled from the bale, they'll have no choice but to fall.
And good riddance to BB, honestly. Their price hiking of new releases was enough to make me stop going years and years ago. Eventually, the damn DVD will be cheaper to [b]buy[/b] than it will be to rent.
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Re: Mocking?
So... Blockbuster paid WB for the priviledge of having movies to rent before anyone cares? Good for them.
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Local commercials for Comcast OnDemand are saying the exact same things. "Can't get it in your mail or in the red box, so get it OnDemand" or something like that.
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28 days, 56 days, 84 days...
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30 Days is soooo long to wait...
Deadheads have known for a long time that Warner Brothers sucks the pustulent boil on the buttocks of humanity.
Netflix rox...betcha can't find "Dead Snow" at any Blockbuster...
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Re: 30 Days is soooo long to wait...
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Re: 30 Days is soooo long to wait...
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This petty bullshit though just insures that I will wait, instead of grabbing it on it on impulse at Blockbuster that is, ooops, closed anyway.
Automatic fail.
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Just goes to show,
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Re: Just goes to show,
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good riddance
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Re: good riddance
I had the same problem, my returns were always late. S I rented a movie and went outside and drooped it in the return box. Sure enough it was late.
I remember when Netflix made a big deal out of having 1000 titles, and I'm still on that same 4 at a time plan at the same price. I just hope that a nice eatery goes in where BB used to be.
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I think WB, netflix, and redbox will all get some bad press and people research why they cant get movies from who they want.
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Time Warner Newspeak
Yet another example of companies claiming they are empowering consumer choice by actually limiting it. Orwell would be proud.
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Hate This Crap
I currently use NetFlix for movies and Movie Gallery PowerPlay for video games and movies that I just really want to see now and don't want to deal with the mail (mainly use NetFlix for streaming). Is there a difference in licensing that makes the studios make money differently from NetFlix and RedBox than from the BBs, MGs, Hastings, etc.? If not, I really don't see this doing anything other than pissing people off.
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RedBox, don't worry
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Exclusive deals?
Of course it's stupid and of course it makes no sense and of course it limits customer choice but what else do we expect when these other "exclusive" deals are allowed to happen over and over again?
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BB Rental
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The problem is...
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Love BB Online, Can't Stand Netflix
I subscribed to Netflix a few years ago and apart from the first month of service, it literally took months to get any new release. It was so bad that I would actually get to see all major releases sooner on HBO/SHO/STARZ before it got to me via Netflix. Now I don't think I was abusing the system either: I would get the movie one day, watch that night and ship it back the next day.
After switching to Blockbuster Online, not only do I get all new releases at the most 1 week after street date but I also get to exchange for free the watched DVD for another one of my choice at the store.
A few months ago I tested Netflix again since they had a free trial period offer, and as before the first week or so all came in promptly but then all new releases got delayed indefinitely.
I have friends that love Netflix since they watch mostly independent or foreign movies and those get to them promptly, but it does work for major new releases. I realize some of you may say you can download movies right away from Netflix, but I prefer to watch a movie in all its Blu-Ray definition.
As far as the store experience is concerned, I have nothing bad to say abut BB. I was a client of theirs before the online rental services took off and they have always been nice and movies have been available no more or less than other chains. As far as I remember Hollywood Video was not as good.
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Re: Love BB Online, Can't Stand Netflix
Anyway, I've never had a problem with Netflix. When a disc was lost in the mail, the customer service rep took care of the problem and it didn't cost me a dime. Contrasting how Netflix treated me with how Blockbuster treated me probably makes me like Netflix more than what is really rational.
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New releases: Meh!
At least with Netflix, stuff comes to me and I don't have to go beating the bushes for it.
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Re: Love BB Online, Can't Stand Netflix
I remember early on that there would sometimes be a delay if I sent a movie back "too quickly," but they've gotten a lot better about it and I haven't noticed it happen in a long while.
I did try BB Online once, but I found their digital storefront as disorienting and cluttered as their brick-and-mortar ones, and I'd already invested a lot of ratings in Netflix's algorithm, so I didn't stay long. Maybe they fixed those problems, but I've no reason to go find out.
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no shocker
You can not make a reasonable deal with somebody who hates you and wants to destroy you. It is of course only natural for Warner to try and screw the little guys and hand BB long time partner what they want in a tool to try and do it. They still, after all this time, consider netflicks some startup irritant and how dare they not be mostly owned by the IP guys at a gunpoint deal... and everybody who owns IP hates redbox, convenience and no DRM at a reasonable price AHHHH kill it before it spreads!
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"Blockbuster Using Its Deal With Warner Bros. To Mock Redbox And Netflix"
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Re: "Blockbuster Using Its Deal With Warner Bros. To Mock Redbox And Netflix"
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Common Sense
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Stock price
Looks like I was thinking about advertisements when I wrote this.
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