http://www.engadget.com/2005/05/19/netflix-takes-over-wal-mart-dvd-rental-business/ Engadget Comments for Netflix takes over Wal-Mart DVD rental business http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2005/05/19/netflix-takes-over-wal-mart-dvd-rental-business/http://www.engadget.com/2005/05/19/netflix-takes-over-wal-mart-dvd-rental-business/Dec 19th 2005 1:21AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/05/19/netflix-takes-over-wal-mart-dvd-rental-business/http://www.engadget.com/2005/05/19/netflix-takes-over-wal-mart-dvd-rental-business/
Competition is good, but I'm glad to have Wal-Mart out of the picture on this. It evens up the playing field a little bit; competition doesn't really work when the company with the best service is like 1 billionth the size of the companies its competing against.]]>Dec 19th 2005 1:21AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/05/19/netflix-takes-over-wal-mart-dvd-rental-business/http://www.engadget.com/2005/05/19/netflix-takes-over-wal-mart-dvd-rental-business/
-jeff
http://blog.zemote.com]]>Dec 19th 2005 1:21AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/05/19/netflix-takes-over-wal-mart-dvd-rental-business/http://www.engadget.com/2005/05/19/netflix-takes-over-wal-mart-dvd-rental-business/Dec 19th 2005 1:21AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/05/19/netflix-takes-over-wal-mart-dvd-rental-business/http://www.engadget.com/2005/05/19/netflix-takes-over-wal-mart-dvd-rental-business/Dec 19th 2005 1:21AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/05/19/netflix-takes-over-wal-mart-dvd-rental-business/http://www.engadget.com/2005/05/19/netflix-takes-over-wal-mart-dvd-rental-business/
I read that Hollywood Video is interested in buying them, and some other share holders are interested in closing the online / mail business.

Does anyone understand the "brick & morter" video rental model is dead. Also, so is mail order once broadband had sufficient throughput for on demand programming.

]]>Dec 19th 2005 1:21AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/05/19/netflix-takes-over-wal-mart-dvd-rental-business/http://www.engadget.com/2005/05/19/netflix-takes-over-wal-mart-dvd-rental-business/Dec 19th 2005 1:21AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/05/19/netflix-takes-over-wal-mart-dvd-rental-business/http://www.engadget.com/2005/05/19/netflix-takes-over-wal-mart-dvd-rental-business/Dec 19th 2005 1:21AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/05/19/netflix-takes-over-wal-mart-dvd-rental-business/http://www.engadget.com/2005/05/19/netflix-takes-over-wal-mart-dvd-rental-business/Dec 19th 2005 1:21AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/05/19/netflix-takes-over-wal-mart-dvd-rental-business/http://www.engadget.com/2005/05/19/netflix-takes-over-wal-mart-dvd-rental-business/Dec 19th 2005 1:21AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/05/19/netflix-takes-over-wal-mart-dvd-rental-business/http://www.engadget.com/2005/05/19/netflix-takes-over-wal-mart-dvd-rental-business/
As for #8's comment about Netflix's customer service getting worse, I disagree. Netflix isn't your typical start-up that got bigger and forgot the individual customer. Yes, they have their growth problems, but I've met or talked to very few people who've had unresolved issues with them. I think for them, it's a victory they will not gloat on, but react in beefing up their customer relations. After all, it's how they built their business and I don't think they'll forget that anytime soon.]]>Dec 19th 2005 1:21AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/05/19/netflix-takes-over-wal-mart-dvd-rental-business/http://www.engadget.com/2005/05/19/netflix-takes-over-wal-mart-dvd-rental-business/
6. Posted Mar 4, 2005, 12:52 AM ET by Brodie12Tide
My business strategy class talked about this very industry last week. The interesting thing my teacher pointed out was that Blockbuster entered the DVD-by-mail segment as a defensive strategy. According to his numbers, Blockbuster is losing money by entering this segment that has such small margins. Blockbuster has all of its money invested into brick and mortar buildings and Netflix simply does not have enough money to completely dominate this market segment. So, what is Netflix to do? My teacher seems to think that Netflix will be getting a call from Walmart in the near future to combined. That is just my take though.
]]>Dec 19th 2005 1:21AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/05/19/netflix-takes-over-wal-mart-dvd-rental-business/http://www.engadget.com/2005/05/19/netflix-takes-over-wal-mart-dvd-rental-business/Dec 19th 2005 1:21AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/05/19/netflix-takes-over-wal-mart-dvd-rental-business/http://www.engadget.com/2005/05/19/netflix-takes-over-wal-mart-dvd-rental-business/]]>Dec 19th 2005 1:21AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/05/19/netflix-takes-over-wal-mart-dvd-rental-business/http://www.engadget.com/2005/05/19/netflix-takes-over-wal-mart-dvd-rental-business/
NetFlix seemed to still proudly ignore the fact that online video game rental "IS" the future, and this will be the moment that they go downhill.

]]>Dec 19th 2005 1:21AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/05/19/netflix-takes-over-wal-mart-dvd-rental-business/http://www.engadget.com/2005/05/19/netflix-takes-over-wal-mart-dvd-rental-business/
Netflix was fine up until that point....should have ordered more new release at a time (upon my repeated request).

May be forced to go back to Netflix if Blockbuster doesn't make it.]]>Dec 19th 2005 1:21AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/05/19/netflix-takes-over-wal-mart-dvd-rental-business/http://www.engadget.com/2005/05/19/netflix-takes-over-wal-mart-dvd-rental-business/Dec 19th 2005 1:21AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/05/19/netflix-takes-over-wal-mart-dvd-rental-business/http://www.engadget.com/2005/05/19/netflix-takes-over-wal-mart-dvd-rental-business/Dec 19th 2005 1:21AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/05/19/netflix-takes-over-wal-mart-dvd-rental-business/http://www.engadget.com/2005/05/19/netflix-takes-over-wal-mart-dvd-rental-business/
Shameless plug alert: Any Netflix users out there looking for an easier way to manage your queue? Check out FlixQueue from 5Hyphen Studios! Try it for free today!
http://www.5hyphen.com/FlixQueue/index.htm]]>Dec 19th 2005 1:21AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/05/19/netflix-takes-over-wal-mart-dvd-rental-business/http://www.engadget.com/2005/05/19/netflix-takes-over-wal-mart-dvd-rental-business/Dec 19th 2005 1:21AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/05/19/netflix-takes-over-wal-mart-dvd-rental-business/http://www.engadget.com/2005/05/19/netflix-takes-over-wal-mart-dvd-rental-business/
More likely, they realized that in a couple of years no one will be shipping plastic discs around any more, and that it would be pretty stupid to go to war to seize an island that will be underwater soon enough.

Nonetheless, I'm sure they got their pound of flesh from Netflix, and I mean more than just a few "Walmart sells DVD's" ads.]]>Dec 19th 2005 1:21AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/05/19/netflix-takes-over-wal-mart-dvd-rental-business/http://www.engadget.com/2005/05/19/netflix-takes-over-wal-mart-dvd-rental-business/Dec 19th 2005 1:21AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/05/19/netflix-takes-over-wal-mart-dvd-rental-business/http://www.engadget.com/2005/05/19/netflix-takes-over-wal-mart-dvd-rental-business/
Just like BB's board of directors has told them about their money-losing online DVD rental service was a bad idea, Wal-Mart's top shelf of exec's probably felt the same when they saw more red than they expected.

Wal-Mart's business model only works when they have a way to consistently and progressively make money. My guess is that after trying to "crush" the competition, they decided it was better to cave in then compete in an area they knew nothing about.

As for what Netflix paid, my best guess on the "undisclosed sum" would be well under a million.]]>Dec 19th 2005 1:21AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/05/19/netflix-takes-over-wal-mart-dvd-rental-business/http://www.engadget.com/2005/05/19/netflix-takes-over-wal-mart-dvd-rental-business/
I cancelled my account this morning and joined up with Green Cine. It's not quite as good, and the interface of the site is terrible, but I feel better about supporting them.]]>Dec 19th 2005 1:21AM