Blockbuster Express kiosks testing $2.99-rentals for new releases
Blockbuster has scored a bit of success over its competitors...just a little though. Blockbuster Express kiosks are now testing $2.99 per night rentals for new releases from Twentieth Century Fox and Universal Studios Home Entertainment.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the tests are rolling out at kiosks in Atlanta, Miami, Phoenix and San Francisco.
Rental services like Netflix typically don't have new releases available until about a month after the title is released on DVD and Blu-ray. There have been attempts to make new releases available to rent sooner, like Time Warner Cable did earlier this year.
Then again, other online services such as iTunes have successfully managed to get certain new DVD releases up for digital rental immediately. But generally, Hollywood studios are unwilling to budge from the 28-day mark to keep boosting DVD and Blu-ray sales.
Thus, Blockbuster has managed a tiny upset over the competition. It might not save the flailing dinosaur of a rental company overall, and it isn't certain how long this program will last. But if you want to rent Knight and Day on DVD immediately, head to a kiosk in one of the aforementioned cities now.
Related coverage on ZDNet:
- Blockbuster filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
- Blockbuster to file for "pre-planned bankruptcy" - The latest victim of our move to a digital existence
- Blockbuster adds games to by-mail rental service
- Redbox, Paramount extend agreement on DVD rentals
- Redbox planning to charge $1.50 per night for Blu-ray rentals