Redbox
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Best Buy may end DVD and Blu-ray sales early next year
The news follows shortly after Netflix ended its DVD delivery service.
Redbox's new owner is the company that saved Sony's Crackle
Redbox has been bought by the same company that rescued Sony's Crackle service from oblivion.
Redbox adds on-demand movies and shows to its free streaming service
The company rolled out an ad-supported live TV option in February.
Redbox's Free Live TV comes to Xbox One consoles
Redbox's Free Live TV service is available on consoles through an app for the Xbox One.
Redbox debuts a free, ad-backed live TV service
Redbox is still better known for its rental kiosks than anything else, but it's clearly keen to expand its streaming offerings. The company has launched a free, ad-supported live TV service (appropriately, Redbox Free Live TV) for some users. You don't need to sign in -- you just have to use Redbox's website or mobile app to tune in. You'll eventually see the service reach other platforms where Redbox is available, including smart TVs, Apple TV boxes and Roku players.
Redbox is selling off its video games at major discounts
Following the news that it's exiting the game rental business, Redbox has put its entire stock of PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch games on sale. While supplies last, you can a lot of recent games at a significant discount. For instance, PlayStation 4 exclusive Marvel's Spider-Man is a mere $10, while Death Stranding, Hideo Kojima's latest opus, is only $25. You can see all the titles that are on sale by visiting Redbox's website.
Redbox stops renting video games, and will stop selling them too
Redbox has been handy for renting video games to get through their stories without buying a copy outright, but that won't be possible from now on. The company has confirmed circulating reports that it's no longer renting games at its kiosks. Not only that, but it's bowing out of sales, too. While Redbox said on Twitter that it was ending sales "early next year," a spokesperson told The Verge that purchases would only be available "through the end of the year." Don't expect to buy a game to usher in 2020.
Redbox will stop selling Disney movie codes as part of settlement
Disney's lawsuit against Redbox is over, and it's not great news for Redbox. The two sides have agreed to a settlement that will have Redbox stop the sale of movie download codes from Disney disc packs. Attorneys for Disney had accused Redbox of violating copyright by offering the codes separately from the discs that went into rental kiosks. Redbox had accused Disney of anti-competitive behavior and succeeded in thwarting a preliminary injunction that would have blocked sales, but its defense fell apart after Disney reworked the disc packs' terms to make code access contingent on how you bought the movies rather than physical ownership.
Redbox, Lionsgate deal keeps new movies in kiosks
Lionsgate has signed a multi-year agreement with Redbox on its titles, including day-and-date distribution for its discs. Films from the studio will be available to rent at Redbox's 42,000 kiosks on the same day they go on sale. It's a good sign for the DVD rental operator, which continues to stay in business despite declines in disc sales and rentals since the advent of streaming.
Redbox will rent Warner Bros. films on release day (updated)
Redbox's new deal with Warner Bros. to make all its movies available for rental the day they're released on home video. The previous agreement delayed arrivals until a week after they'd come out for consumer market. Now, not only can folks pick them up on DVD in the company's signature kiosks, they can also access them via the provider's Redbox On Demand service.
Disney’s lawsuit against Redbox may have backfired
Disney's attempt to prevent Redbox from buying its discs for rental and resale may have blown up in the House of Mouse's face. The Hollywood Reporter describes how District Court Judge Dean Pregerson sided with Redbox to shoot down a Disney-mandated injunction. In addition, Pregerson contended that Disney may itself be misusing copyright law to protect its interests and its own forthcoming streaming service.
Redbox says Disney lawsuit is a baseless attempt to stamp out rivals
Last month, Disney filed a lawsuit against Redbox claiming that the rental company was violating Disney's copyrights. Redbox buys the Disney discs it rents at retail and when those discs come with download codes for digital copies, Redbox sells them to its customers. But Disney says that's against its terms of sale and requested an injunction, any profits Redbox made from those sales and $150,000 per copyright infringement. Redbox has now clapped back, Variety reports, filing an opposition to Disney's complaint and injunction request.
Redbox deal with Universal eliminates rental window delay
This week, Redbox, the company behind all those movie rental kiosks, extended its distribution deal with Universal, . The studio had previously held fast on a 28-day window between when it released movies for home purchase and when people could rent them from Redbox. Now, that window has been eliminated. The new terms apply to both the physical locations as well as the company's new streaming service, which was announced earlier this month.
Redbox returns to internet video with On Demand service
The last time Redbox tried online video in earnest it... didn't go so well. The company's Redbox Instant was effectively trying to challenge Netflix head-on, which seemed foolhardy even in 2013. After lots of teasing, though, it's ready for a comeback. It's launching a Redbox On Demand service that offers movies and TV shows (notably, including new releases) for purchase or rent -- it's steering clear of subscriptions this time. You can stream videos or download them for offline viewing, and it's available across a wide range of devices from the word "go." You can watch wherever you are with Android or iOS, while living room viewers can use Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku boxes or smart TVs from LG and Samsung.
Disney sues Redbox for reselling DVD download codes
Disney isn't too happy with Redbox at the moment. The short-term movie rental service has been selling the download codes that come with the Disney discs it buys and subsequently lends out to customers. The Wall Street Journal reports that unlike other studios, Redbox doesn't have a distribution deal in place with Disney and as a result, it has to buy discs at retail. Then, it sells the download slips to customers at its kiosks for between $7.99 and $14.99.
Redbox deals with Sony and Lionsgate bring discs with no delay
This year Redbox is trying to make a resurgence, adding kiosks after a few years of shrinking availability. Of course, if it's going to draw people in for disc rentals over streaming, it will need to provide the movies they're looking for and renewed studio licensing deals will help make that happen. This week it renewed an agreement with Sony Pictures that secured its movies, once again, for rental at Redbox the same day they go on sale, while Lionsgate made a similar arrangement a couple of weeks ago. As Home Media Magazine notes, recent renewals with Warner and Fox bring their movies to the box a week after they go on sale, leaving Universal as the lone holdout still insisting on a 28-day window. The simple fact is that physical media isn't bringing in as much money as it used to, and studios are more flexible about methods that will keep people using discs instead of Netflix. Of course, Redbox still trails the availability of streaming video-on-demand in many cases, but it's also much cheaper, at just $2 or so for a Blu-ray copy.
Redbox bets DVD rental kiosks are making a comeback
Redbox has spent years trying to reduce its dependence on disc rentals, and not without reason. You don't have much as incentive to rent from a kiosk when online video (including from Redbox) is just a heartbeat away. That doesn't mean the company is giving up on the idea, though -- in fact, it just made a fresh commitment to the concept. CEO Galen Smith has revealed that Redbox will add a net total of 1,500 new DVD kiosks across the US, and will add more still in 2018. Don't think of this as an attempt to pretend the internet doesn't exist, mind you. Instead, it's about a smarter use of resources.
In Ethiopia, pirate movie kiosks hide in plain sight
With the rise of cheap, easy and legal streaming services, actually pirating a movie or song seems like way too much effort. But in those places where high-speed internet may not be as prevalent, and those services are too pricey, other methods are required. In one Ethiopian shopping mall, for instance, there's apparently an ATM-style kiosk that enables locals to purchase illegally-obtained movies for cents.
Redbox is getting back into streaming and downloads
Redbox's ill-fated attempt to take on Netflix and Hulu shut down in 2014, but Variety reports that it's ready to try again. From the ashes of Redbox Instant rises Redbox Digital, which ditches the subscription element entirely in favor of all-video on-demand all the time. It's focused on the rental and purchase experience, although for now only invited users can try it out.
Redbox is reportedly giving internet video another shot
Remember Redbox's first stab at online video? You'd be forgiven if you didn't. The whole affair lasted about a year and a half before low adoption and payment snafus led Redbox to call it quits. However, the company appears ready to give it another try. Variety's tipsters have leaked details about Redbox Digital, a service that would let you buy and rent movies across PCs, mobile devices and TV add-ons like Roku boxes. It'd tie closely with both the company's website and its existing mobile apps, and every movie you grab would count towards Redbox's loyalty program.
