Inside Redbox

Amazon Not Planning to Spin Off Streaming Service

Shane Smith — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 19:55:45 +0000

With Amazon aggressively boosting the content offering of its Prime Instant Video service, many are wondering if the online retail giant plans to relaunch the service as a stand-alone streaming competitor to Netflix, etc. Not so, says Amazon.

Amazon’s Prime Instant Video service is a free add-on to its popular Prime subscription, which costs $79 annually and offers unlimited two-day shipping on most products sold on the site.

Brad Beale, Head of Digital Video Content Acquisition at Amazon, doesn’t see a separation of the streaming portion of Amazon Prime from the shipping side of things anytime soon. Said Beale:

“The bundle of benefits that come with Amazon Prime make perfect sense to offer to customers . . . The way that Prime Instant Video is offered today — we’re going to continue that approach at least into the near future.”

Is this a wise move, Insiders, or a missed opportunity? Do you think that Amazon still sees its streaming offering as a sweetener to entice customers to buy more from the site?

[via GigaOm]

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Freebie Friday: Win the New ‘Twilight’ Movie on DVD or Blu-ray!

Shane Smith — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:05:22 +0000

TGIF! Every week on “Freebie Friday” we offer our readers an opportunity to win free prizes. This week, you have a chance to win a free copy of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part I just by answering a fun question.

Twilight is upon us, Insiders, by which I mean the latest entry in the supernally popular supernatural series hits home video today. To enter this week’s giveaway, simply answer the following in the comments section below:

Who’s your favorite character in the Twilight series and why?

Are you a member of Team Edward or Team Jacob? Maybe you’re part of Team Bella—is that a thing? Maybe you just hate them all? Tell us that, too!

On Monday the 13th we will randomly select a winner from the submitted comments. The winner will receive a free copy of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part I on DVD or Blu-ray (their choice)! Multiple comments will disqualify you, so please respond just once.

Good luck, Insiders!

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Preview Review: Theatrical Releases for February 10

Shane Smith — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 04:54:50 +0000

Welcome to another edition of Inside Redbox’s Preview Review, where we recap the movies that will be coming out in theaters this weekend. The goal of this feature is to help you make your weekend movie-watching plans, as well as to note movies that you want to Redbox in a few months when they come out on DVD.

There’s a little something for everyone coming out in wide release this week. Previews and the official trailers for Star Wars: Episode I 3D, The Vow, Safe House and Journey 2: The Mysterious Island are after the break.

Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace 3D

www.youtube.com/watch?v=gC6w15OwK08

Most of you have probably already made up your mind about where you stand on Jar-Jar Binks, mindless CGI battles and all of this film’s other perceived “flaws”. The 3D up-conversion is supposed to be superb—will that and nostalgia be enough to fill the seats for this one? Rated PG.

The Vow

www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JoXHO3ceUY

Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams star as a couple separated by memory loss. The Vow is trying hard to stand out from the rest of the crowded rom-com field. Will it? Rated PG-13.

Safe House

www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWzTOoOpFa8

Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds star in this spy thriller about a couple of CIA agents, one disgraced and one a greenie. Can they refrain from killing each other long enough to find out who’s trying to kill them? Rated R.

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island

www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFW_UVu8sVQ

Family fun at the theater this week comes courtesy of The Rock’s pecs in this sequel to Journey to the Center of the Earth. Rated PG.

Are any of this week’s wide releases on your must-see list, Insiders?

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The Bourne Legacy Trailer and Preview

Shane Smith — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 03:24:10 +0000

In our never-ending quest to keep you informed and up-to-date on movie and home entertainment happenings, Inside Redbox regularly takes a look at major films coming out in the near(ish) future that are already generating buzz and anticipation. This time around, we’re spotlighting The Bourne Legacy.

Here’s the brand new trailer:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Wlj8Cy8Eb-s

Matt Damon opted to sit this one out, so Jeremy Renner steps into Bourne’s, uh, legacy as a new character turned into an unstoppable murder machine by a dark branch of the CIA. Renner’s definitely got the requisite physicality and intensity, but will audiences want to see a Bourne movie without Jason Bourne in it?

The Bourne Legacy will hit theaters this summer. Will you be there?

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Amazon Signs Deal with Viacom, Adds Thousands of Streaming Titles

Shane Smith — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 03:17:59 +0000

As if Netflix didn’t already have enough to worry about with the imminent joint streaming venture from Verizon and Redbox, now Amazon has announced a major deal with Viacom. The new agreement will bring Amazon Prime Instant Video’s title count to more than 15,000.

From a message from Amazon founder Jeff Bezo’s on the company’s home page:

We just wrapped up another deal — this time bringing in content from MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, TV Land, and VH1 — to add 2,000 new titles to Prime Instant Video. Together with the existing movies and shows from CBS, Fox, Disney-ABC, PBS, NBC, Sony, and Warner Bros., we now offer, at no additional cost, unlimited instant streaming of more than 15,000 titles.

New content now available to Amazon Prime customers, who receive the instant video service free with their subscription, includes:

Comedy Central: Chappelle’s Show, The Sarah Silverman Program

MTV: Jersey Shore, The Hard Times of RJ Berger, The Hills

Nickelodeon: iCarly, Dora the Explorer, SpongeBob SquarePants, Yo Gabba Gabba

Spike: Deadliest Warrior: The Show and the Aftermath

TV Land: Hot in Cleveland

VH1: Love & Hip Hop, Mob Wives

Between the free two-day shipping and the rapidly expanding content offering, is Amazon Prime looking more appealing to you these days, Insiders?

[via GigaOm]

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The Amazing Spider-Man Preview and Trailer

Shane Smith — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 03:56:49 +0000

Here’s the brand new trailer:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=atCfTRMyjGU

It’s been ten short years since Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire teamed up to bring Spider-Man to the big screen, and a scant five years since their last outing. Now, Hollywood is asking you to forget all about all that and accept a reboot with a new cast. Brit Andrew Garfield, best known for his role in The Social Network, steps into Spidey’s tights, with Emma Stone as his love interest.

Will Hollywood’s gamble on moviegoers’ short memories pay off? Will you be there when The Amazing Spider-Man slings its way into theaters this summer?

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Disney Mulls 28-day New Release Delay for Redbox

Shane Smith — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 03:42:55 +0000

Et tu, Disney? The Mouse House, so long opposed to new release delay windows, is apparently toying with the idea of imposing a 28-day waiting period on Redbox.

The revelation came during today’s earnings call with analysts, when Disney CEO Bob Iger said that his company was in discussions with Redbox about putting a delay window in place, and such a move “would be a wise thing for us to do.”

Iger also revealed on the call that Disney, the only major studio not involved in the UltraViolet consortium, remains cautious about the much-discussed cloud delivery system. Said Iger:

“I don’t want to sound too critical, but we’re taking a wait-and-see approach on UltraViolet . . . I’m not suggesting that we’re not open-minded about it, but so far I’m not sure that it’s proven to be as robust as we’d expected or as consumer-friendly as we had hoped. Again, that’s not to say that we wouldn’t necessarily consider it, but it’s way too early to conclude that.”

What do you think caused Iger’s change of heart? Would such a move by Disney be detrimental to Redbox?

(via The Wrap)

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Coinstar Q4 Earnings Nearly Triple on Massive Redbox Growth

Shane Smith — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 02:12:06 +0000

Redbox’s parent company, Coinstar, announced its fourth quarter results today, and the numbers were outstanding. The company’s earnings were nearly triple those of the same period the year before. Traders were pleasantly surprised by Coinstar’s performance, which exceeded analysts’ projections, and rewarded the company’s stock by driving up share prices more than 13 percent in after hours trading.

Revenue came in at $520.5 million, which exceeded analyst forecasts by about $22 million. Net income rose from $11.7 million in Q4 2010 to $31.5 million in Q4 2011.

Coinstar CFO J. Scott Di Valerio believes that Redbox’s rapid growth can be chalked up to continued adherence to customer preferences and defecting Netflix subscribers:

“I do think we are picking up Netflix customers . . . We have stayed focused on giving the customers what they want.”

Will Redbox’s latest blowout quarter finally silence its critics? How will the company’s Q1 2012 numbers look, which will have to factor in Warner new release workaround costs?

(via The Washington Post)

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Verizon and Redbox Join Forces in VOD Service

Shane Smith — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 02:02:43 +0000

Look out, Netflix. Redbox, which also announced the acquisition of rival Blockbuster Express today, has teamed up with Verizon to offer a video-on-demand service. The new service will be available nationwide later this year, and will feature a download option—something Netflix is lacking.

Here are the known details of the deal, courtesy of GigaOM:

Verizon will own 65 percent of the joint venture while Coinstar, Redbox’s parent company, will own 35 percent.

The service will offer something Netflix currently doesn’t — a download option, which makes it more competitive with Amazon’s video offerings.

The offering will be available nationwide, not merely to Verizon customers.

Using Redbox helps the joint venture get access to new releases as content companies are trying to add more “windows” to the movie release process. Windowing is what content companies use to spread out the time between a movie released in theaters, when it hits rentals stores and when it makes its way to other services such as premium TV channels. The general thinking is this increases profits for each movie, but opinion is divided on that, and consumers hate it.

Verizon is counting on its existing relationship as a pay TV provider to get more content to the joint venture.

Whatever the end product looks like, it will launch in the second half of this year.

This is a huge deal, and should make Netflix a bit nervous. It helps Redbox get access to new content and will also drive traffic to Verizon’s networks, including its ultra-high speed FiOS areas.

Despite the lack of details, this new service seems pretty interesting. Is it something you would consider paying for, Insiders?

(via GigaOM)

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NCR Sells Kiosk Business to Redbox

Shane Smith — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 01:54:20 +0000

It’s an epic day in Redbox news. One of the biggest stories is the acquisition of NCR’s DVD kiosk business by Redbox parent Coinstar. The business, currently operating under the Blockbuster Express brand, consists of about 10,000 kiosks.

The deal is worth more than $100 million, and includes a five-year manufacturing and services agreement with NCR. The Blockbuster Express license does not accompany the agreement, which would seem to signal an end to the BB Express brand once the agreement is completed.

Scott Di Valerio, CFO of Coinstar and interim president of Redbox, was effusive about the deal:

“We are very pleased to enter into this agreement with NCR . . . As the global self-service solutions leader, NCR has strong technology, manufacturing and servicing capabilities, and we look forward to leveraging their expertise as Coinstar continues to grow its core automated retail businesses and expands its offerings.”

John Bruno, EVP and chief technology officer for NCR, was also enthusiastic:

“Through this agreement with Redbox, NCR will be better positioned to focus on expanding our business in our targeted industries . . . Additionally, this transaction affords us the opportunity to develop a long-term strategic relationship with Coinstar and partner on delivering new and innovative solutions to the market.”

What do you think of this news, Insiders? Will you mourn the (apparently imminent) death of Blockbuster Express, or is competition always a good thing, even for you favorite brands?

(via Home Media Magazine)

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