It’s been long rumored that Redbox, the company behind those kiosks that rent DVDs for $1 per night, would extend its brand online, but its president officially confirmed yesterday that it will be delivering a video streaming service that would compete against Netflix.
The big question now is with whom Redbox will partner to get the service up and running, rather than build out a massive infrastructure itself. Amazon.com may be the logical choice, especially since it already appears to be gearing up for a subscription-based streaming service of its own. But Walmart is another possibility, especially since its Vudu acquisition has it on streaming hardware devices already.
Redbox’s massive growth appears to be slowing, perhaps precisely because more and more people are watching videos online than renting DVDs. Another looming question is how the new service could assemble content that could not only compete with Netflix’s offering, but also provide a compelling alternative.
What would it take from a Redbox streaming service that would make you switch from Netflix? Or subscribe to Redbox if you don’t belong to Netflix already? Let us know in the Comments section.
